Analyst sends strong message on Johnny Manziel-Colorado football hypothetical: 'TV ratings would be astronomical'

OutKick's Zach Dean, like anyone who lived through both the "Johnny Football" era in 2012 and 2013 and the current "Prime Time" era of Colorado football, believes Johnny Manziel and Coach Prime would've made a lot of dollars and sense had the opportunity ever arose.

"Honestly, it checks out," Dean said of Manziel's claim that he'd want his son to play for Deion Sanders if he had the choice. "I can't think of a more electric duo than Deion Sanders and Johnny Manziel. Could you imagine? It would be insane. For starters, the TV ratings would be astronomical. You thought Colorado football was big last season. Just imagine if Johnny Manziel was under center.

"Knock the guy all you want for his NFL play, but when he was in college, Johnny Football was on top of the world for a few years. He reached Tim Tebow levels of Must-See TV.  Not sure how all that would've worked with Deion Sanders at the helm, but goodness, I wish we could've found out."

Johnny Manziel would send his son to CU to play for Coach Prime's Colorado football team

Manziel told Shannon Sharpe on the February 21 edition of Club Shay Shay that if he had the choice, he'd send his son to the University of Colorado to play for the Buffs because of his good friend Coach Prime.

"We've had a great relationship for years," Manziel said about Sanders (h/t BuffsBeat). "I think looking back on our relationship now, he knew something special in me to the point of where he would interject in my life at times or send me a message or like really show love that he didn't have to do.

"If I was a college kid looking now, I would say Texas A&M is the best school in the country, right? That's a given. But number two, I would play for a man who's a leader of men. A guy who carries himself the way that Prime does. And without a doubt I would sign my life and if I sit, look at it from a different perspective... If I was a father and my son was looking to go to play for a coach, I would absolutely, without a doubt, unequivocally, send them to Coach Prime."

Manziel doesn't have any sons, so this could end up being purely hypothetical for the rest of time. But knowing Colorado football program has this kind of clout -- something it surely didn't have when Manziel was a recruit coming out of Tivy High School in Kerville, Texas -- should speak volumes about the legacy Sanders has already built at CU.