Coach Prime claps back at report he doesn't go on Colorado football recruiting visits
Coach Prime didn't like hearing that he doesn't go on Colorado football recruiting visits, because in his eyes, it's not true. While Deion Sanders isn't one to hop on a plane and show up at the doorsteps of prospective Buffs, he does conduct visits for his program in the state of Colorado.
“There was an article that came out that said I don’t go on visits,” Sanders said of the report claiming he didn't go on visits (h/t USA Today). “OK, my approach is totally different than many coaches’ approach. I’m a businessman as well, so I try to save our university money every darn chance I get.
“The parents, I love ‘em, and I want to show them Boulder. I want them to see this and how beautiful it is and why I’m so eager and how much I love this city and this state and this team. I want them to see that, because guess what? That’s why the kid is comin.’The kid comin’ here. Going there is just showcasing for me. That’s just blowing money. It’s blowing a bag, don’t make sense. I can’t do things other coaches can do. You know why? I’m Coach Prime. And I didn’t stutter when I said it.”
Coach Prime saves Colorado football $200K by not flying to recruits
USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer reported that Sanders relinquishes the $200,000 allotted by the university for his football program by forgoing recruiting visits; allowing that money to go elsewhere within CU's athletic program.
"The data since Dec. 1, 2022 covers the last two winter contact periods on the NCAA recruiting calendar, which generally restricts head coaches from making off-campus recruiting contacts beyond the months of December and January," Schrotenboer prefaced before saying, "In Sanders’ case, his employment contract with Colorado also gives him an annual budget of $200,000 to use a private air travel service for recruiting called Wheels Up. He didn’t use it."
Coach Prime has often stressed the importance of saving money for the Buffs. Between not going on visits and claiming that Colorado isn't an ATM, Sanders is trying to be frugal.
Can a successful college football program win that way in the NIL era? Stay tuned.