Dan Patrick doesn't want to see Deion Sanders leave the Colorado football program until he's had a full recruiting cycle that doesn't rely on the players he brought with him from Jackson State. Patrick believes another year or two in Boulder will be a good test to see if Sanders can coach.
Patrick's comments were in response to Paul Finebaum's suggestion that Coach Prime replace Lincoln Riley at USC.
“Paul Finebaum doesn’t like Lincoln Riley. So now, instead of criticizing Lincoln Riley, he’s promoting Deion Sanders," Patrick said (h/t On SI). "I don’t know if he truly believes it. I respect Paul. He has a way of getting headlines and he certainly did. I wanna see if Deion can coach. I don’t think that’s asking too much. How about he goes through a recruiting class.
"Maybe at least three years, maybe four years. You got your son to go there, Travis Hunter went there, but you were at Jackson State when you got them. Now you gotta go out and recruit. Now you gotta go up against everybody else. Do I think him at USC in Los Angeles would be interesting? Absolutely. I just wanna see if he can coach, recruit, and strategy in a game... Because last year they were subpar. This year the over/under is 5.5."
Dan Patrick wanting Deion Sanders with Colorado football makes sense on many levels
Patrick is a friend of Sanders who gets interview access to him. It makes sense that he's supporting Sanders sticking with CU since that's what Coach Prime has publicly voiced is his stance on several occasions.
But another wrinkle: Patrick is under the FOX Sports umbrella, just as the Big 12 is. It'd be bad for business, for everyone involved, if Sanders were to bolt the Buffs.
Always follow the money. Not to say Patrick is insincere here, but always follow the money.