Deion Sanders says what he thinks—and does what he feels is right—whether folks like it or not. And when he retired Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter’s numbers during Colorado’s spring game this weekend, yeah, it ruffled feathers.
But really...he’s got a good point.
What struck me was what Coach Prime said after the game. He talked about Coach Bill McCartney, who just passed away on January 10th. Coach Mac brought CU a national title, and now—only now—we’re putting up a statue? And don’t even get me started on Rashaan Salaam. His jersey wasn’t retired until after he died.
"Why we wait, man?"Coach Prime on retiring jersey numbers
To his point, Coach Prime mentioned that we live in a “right now” world. UberEats. Amazon Prime. Everything’s instant—and yet when it comes to honoring our own people, we still act like we’re stuck in 1995.
I don't think Prime is disrespecting the past, but what he is essentially saying is he is changing how we do retirement numbers. He’s a trendsetter. Whether it's with recruiting, culture, or branding. He changes the game. So don’t be surprised if more schools stop waiting 20 years to hang a jersey in the rafters. I bet we start seeing more players getting recognized immediately.
We can talk all day whether or not Shedeur or Travis have earned it, but the reality is Coach Prime is just changing how we view number retirements and honoring the past.
I can respect that.
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