Any objective college football viewer would recognize that Deion Sanders did everything humanly possible to silence any critics Colorado brought after a 4-8 debut season in Boulder during the 2023 season.
Luckily, 247 Sports' Carter Bahns is objective, and sees Sanders' efforts as having put down any reasonable criticism of his coaching potential.
"While the four-win debut season was a step forward from what Deion Sanders inherited at Colorado, he finished Year 1 with perhaps the loudest critics of any coach in the nation. Those doubters fell silent in 2024 when Sanders guided the Buffaloes to the verge of College Football Playoff contention in one of their best seasons of the 21st Century. His transfer-heavy approach led to eye-rolls from many, but it worked wonders in quickly turning Colorado into a Big 12 title contender. The question now is whether he can keep the machine rolling without Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and fellow projected first-rounder Shedeur Sanders," Bahns wrote.
Coach Prime has come a long way over his two seasons. While the Alamo Bowl was the most sour note the 2024 season could've ended on, the Buffs still achieved what was unfathomable during the Karl Dorrell era.
A Heisman winner? Two potential top-three picks? Colorado being one of the most-watched teams in the country?
Those were ironic statements at best two years ago. Now, it's real life.
There are still doubters in Deion, including many who don't see his viability long-term in Boulder with the NFL -- particularly coaching his sons once again -- appealing to him.
They just have far less to stand on than they did at the start of 2024.