NIL, Coach Prime's friendship with WWE legend Goldberg led to PWO's Colorado football commitment

As Essentially Sports' Khosalu Puro explains, NIL and Coach Prime's friendship with his WWE legend father, Bill Goldberg, led to Gage Goldberg committing to the Colorado football program as a preferred walk-on.

"The Boerne Champion linebacker is one of the 33 players reaching out to Colorado as part of the program’s 2024 recruiting class," Puro prefaced before saying, "And you could say the relationship between his WWE superstar father Bill Goldberg and Deion Sanders is one of the driving factors that led the 6-foot, 205-pounder to Colorado. 

"Gage is a great value addition to Coach Prime’s Buffs. In his senior year, he was a force, recording 154 total tackles, eight hurries, four forced fumbles, and one sack. But his commitment may not be beneficial on the field alone, as his fame and popularity could potentially boost Colorado’s star power."

Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders is one of Bill Goldberg's 'best friends ever'

Gage explained to BuffsBeat that his father, a former Atlanta Falcons teammate of Deion Sanders before becoming the face of WCW and a multi-time world champion in WWE, sees Coach Prime as one of his "best friends ever."

"The main draw was that Colorado has an amazing coaching staff and obviously a great head coach that will help me excel in every way to become a better football player, and eventually to get me to the next level," Gage told BuffsBeat. "My dad's advice was go to the program that stands out to you the most and the one you know that you will love. I already know at this moment that I will love Colorado and it will also be great to be learning from one of my dad’s best friends ever."

For Gage, it came down to Alabama, Duke, UCF, and NC State, and before Nick Saban retired, the Crimson Tide was the leader of the pack. As it turned out, though, the family affair in Boulder ended up adding another wrinkle with Coach Prime's good friend's son.