Colorado football: 'Prime Time: Public Performance and Leadership' class a smart idea

Denver Sports' Will Petersen believes the "Prime Time: Public Performance and Leadership" course announced by CU based on Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders is a "smart idea" -- seeing the vision of the course as an opportunity for NIL-interested students, and brand-centric marketing students in general, to learn the game.

"Really, it’s smart of the school to lean into Coach Prime and prepare student-athletes properly," Peterson prefaced before saying, "There’s a lot more 'NIL' money floating around Boulder than before Sanders arrived, so this is a great educational opportunity."

Per the University of Colorado's official website, the course is geared toward teaching students how to capitalize on and monetize the "special kind of public figure" college athletes have become.

“Prime Time: Public Performance and Leadership” will be offered to students in the College of Media, Communication and Information at Colorado University next semester," CU"s website read (h/t The New York Post).

“Intercollegiate athletics and the college athlete experience are undergoing fundamental transformations as athletes gain control of their name, image and likeness and begin monetizing their personal brands for the first time. This course considers collegiate and professional athletes as a special kind of public figure, whose public personas can create opportunities to earn income from sponsors and commercial interests, but also as influential advocates for social justice and cultural influence."

Coach Prime getting highly involved in CU means only good things for Colorado football

While not everyone believes Coach Prime's word is gospel regarding sticking long-term in Boulder, the more Sanders gets involved with the University of Colorado in this kind of capacity, the harder it will be for Deion to divest should the urge to job-hop come up.

CU's marketing pitch during the season to prospective students -- during TV spots and through digital advertising -- was filled to the brim with "Prime Time" references. The more Colorado and Coach Prime continue to be intrinsically linked, the better the chance Sanders will stay.

So, smart indeed.