The Athletic's Max Olson sends warning to Deion Sanders' Colorado football team ahead of Big 12 return

The Athletic's Max Olson, author of the infamous Xavier Smith-Chase Sowell hit piece that was released in late April following the Black and Gold spring game, warned Deion Sanders what his Colorado football program will face in the Buffs' Big 12 return this Fall.

See: most head coaches giving you their best because they want to notch a win over "Prime Time" in 2024.

“I think that there’s quite a few coaches in the Big 12 who would like to notch a win over Coach Prime,” Olson said on the Andy Staples On3 show. “I think that’s fair to say. I don’t think they hate him, but they certainly watched from afar everything going on over there.

“They know that the way the TV networks are going to pitch this is that Colorado’s the most exciting team in the Big 12 and there’s going to be a lot of schools in the Big 12 that are going to want to humble them, just like Dan Lanning last year."

Max Olson stirring the pot against Deion Sanders' Colorado football program

Olson is hearing from coaches that they want to beat Sanders; the same coaches who are likely aware they are speaking to the man who gathered negative intel on Coach Prime's Buffs to paint the program as one that makes most players feel miserable and not good enough.

Could it be that they're giving Olson just enough to form this narrative instead of giving a less interesting opinion of not wanting to beat Sanders more than any of the other schools on their schedule? Perhaps.

Let's not forget that Olson is a Nebraska grad who, at minimum, had access to Matt Rhule. After the beatdown the Buffs gave the Huskers in Boulder last September, such vengeance is expected to be desired by Rhule and Co.

As for who else contributed to the "play for clicks" culture, it's too bad they didn't attach their names to benefit from the "Prime Time" spotlights.