Colorado football transfer predicts Buffs rise in year two just like JSU did under Deion Sanders
Colorado football transfer OL Zack Owens has faith in Deion Sanders' second year in Boulder being similar to his second season at Jackson State: a major improvement over Coach Prime's first-year record at a new school.
“My biggest thing is like, I knew at Jackson State, like Coach Sanders, his first year was a little rough, but then his second year, the way they bounced back and the way they won the league and the division – I could see that happening here this year," Owens said (h/t The Clemson Insider).
Owens shared the reasoning behind joining Colorado after spending time at a recent national championship program at Clemson.
In a nutshell? He wants to be part of history as the pioneers of prosperity at CU.
“I wanted to be a part of a program that OK, so now he’s one of the guys we look back and remember," Owens prefaced before saying, "At Clemson, that’s all they talked about was what they did in the past and how it helped us build up, which is something that we always respect. But I want to be a part of building a program up to the point where we can make history and change the culture from here on out.”
Deion Sanders' Colorado football program in a tougher place than JSU was
The Big 12 is on a different level than the SWAC. Obviously. They don't call it a "Power" Conference for nothing.
That's the thing, though. Sanders' level of recruiting made the SWAC seem like light work, but it may not end up being as dominant in the Big 12; at least in year two.
Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter were great in both Jackson, Mississippi and in Boulder. But far from all of their teammates reached those same heights in the Pac-12's final year, where greatness was needed from everyone to contend with some of the country's powerhouses in Oregon and USC (with Caleb Williams, at least) and solid squads like Utah, a Jonathan Smith-led Oregon State Beavs and Jedd Fisch's Arizona Wildcats.
It's a legitimate worry that the stars could shine again in 2024 but the depth could falter. There likely won't be an 11-2 finish like the 2021 JSU Tigers had in Sanders' second year there.