Analyst flames Deion Sanders for Colorado football recruiting job: 'Fluff, no substance'
The Athletic's Ari Wasserman is far from impressed with the job Deion Sanders has done for his Colorado football program on the recruiting trail -- saying he's been "all fluff" and no substance since taking over the program in December 2022.
"Sanders is engaging, entertaining, personable and funny," Wasserman prefaced before saying, "When people criticize him or he has something to say, the showman in him comes out and he has an answer for everything. He was very clever in saying he doesn’t travel for recruiting because he wants to save his university money. He was clever when saying people would get mad if he’s in a certain area of the country and visits only a few high schools, though that’s an issue every big-time coach faces. You want to buy what he is saying because he’s so damn charismatic.
"But it’s all fluff. There’s no substance. That’s why Sanders is disappointing me. Doing things 'differently' was supposed to be him recruiting unconventionally and weaponizing his fame. He was supposed to show up at five-star prospects high schools and dazzle everyone with that big smile and unmatched swagger. He was supposed to make Colorado a factor because of his persona and he was supposed to sign really, really good recruiting classes."
Deion Sanders accused of taking shortcuts with Colorado football recruiting strategy
Wasserman isn't the first and he surely won't be the last analyst to call out Coach Prime for not doing the heavy lifting on the road. Mike Farrell (of the Mike Farrell Sports brand) accused Sanders of taking shortcuts by not going on visits and relying on the transfer portal to plug the Buffs roster's holes.
"Spin it all you want with the transfer portal focus, but seven high school signees is not good and does not come close to helping to lay a foundation or a culture," Farrell prefaced before saying, "There is some talent here, but Deion Sanders is looking for shortcuts."
Sanders always has an answer for everything, but sometimes it doesn't stick. Sanders saving the school money sounds a tad far-fetched when his son Shedeur and Travis Hunter are worth over $7 million combined in NIL. Jordan Seaton, Cormani McClain, and Shilo Sanders didn't come cheap either.
Let's all cool the "no substance" line, though. While Sanders could provide enough fluff to power a Build-A-Bear Workshop, the aforementioned five names proves the man can recruit.
He brought the No. 1 overall recruit in 2022 to Jackson, Mississippi. That doesn't happen if Coach Prime had no idea what he's doing.