Deion Sanders made many Colorado football fans grin ear to ear on April 25 ahead of the first round of the 2024 NFL draft by declaring that he'd be in Boulder coaching the Buffs for the next half decade at least; offering the possibility of being there a decade from now as his kids move on to the NFL in 2025.
"Most people ask me, 'What you gonna do when they're out, you're going to the pros together?' I said, 'A real father leads his sons, he doesn't follow them,'" Sanders said during the All the Smoke podcast (h/t Bleacher Report). "So I'm good, I'll be here. I ain't going nowhere, I'm straight, I love Boulder, Colorado, and I cannot wait till they go into the NFL and do their thing.
"The kids will be in the pros, and I'll be here."
Colorado football analyst: Future of recruiting looks 'very promising' for Deion Sanders
BuffStampede.com's Adam Munsterteiger believes that Sanders is set up well for the long haul at Colorado; downplaying the transfers that have left the program and believing the process Coach Prime has laid out in Boulder.
"There have been a few guys that have left the program that Colorado would like to have on its roster in 2024," Munsterteiger said (h/t 247Sports). "However, a lot of the guys that left were not going to be starters. It is tough to keep depth around in the portal era. You've got this revolving door with depth pieces. The big picture still looks very promising for Colorado. There's been an overreaction when guys hit the portal at the beginning of every portal window. Were they better off from a total talent at the end of each window? The answer is yes every time.
"Last weekend was the first weekend they've had non-graduates in the portal visit, and they've already gotten four commits. Have a little bit more trust in the process that they've shown since Sanders got to Boulder. It is unconventional, and it's going to draw a lot of national headlines. This roster continues to get better after every window. From that standpoint, you've got to agree with Coach Prime in terms of what he's building in Boulder. Colorado does not have a high school recruiting hotbed in their backyard."
Between Sanders himself and those close to CU covering the team, you have near universal confidence that Colorado will be his long-term home.
Good thing his sons bought him a mansion in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in that case.