It’s never too difficult to get a sense of what Deion Sanders thinks about certain things.
The head coach of the Colorado football team is not shy when it comes to voicing his opinions, and it was no different Friday at CU’s 71st annual Fall Sports Media Day.
Coach Prime made it clear that he has no love for certain people in the media. But he also made it clear that he likes CU’s team for the 2024 season, which begins August 29 at Folsom Field against North Dakota State (6 p.m., ESPN).
“I wish we could move quickly because I’m ready to go,” Sanders said as he celebrated his 57th birthday on Friday. “I’m ready to play.”
After a disappointing 4-8 season in 2023, his first year in Boulder, Coach Prime and his staff revamped the roster. Of the 112 players, 65 are new, including three who were added this week.
In 2023, CU will stock up on talented young players, which Coach Prime said was intentional on Friday.
“That was the easiest one to win my first year because that’s my position,” said Sanders, a Hall of Fame cornerback who also played receiver in the NFL.
In the offseason, the offensive line and defensive line were the focus, with 25 of the 65 new recruits playing in the trenches. CU brought in nine transfer players for the offensive line and strengthened the defensive line and pass rushers.
“When the big guys see a lack of that or see a quarterback who’s really got it, they’re right there now,” Sanders said. “Now they see a difference in the linebackers, in the secondary. Now they say, ‘OK, well, we’ve got the line, now we’re going to score some points. So we’ve got to go out there and be relentless on the defensive line side.’ That’s why we have all the pass rushers.”
Speaking about the 20-month process of assembling the squad from the time he was hired until now, Coach Prime said, “You have to understand the logic behind everything. Everything is going exactly according to plan.”
Coach Prime’s sons are just as eager to get the season rolling as he is and are convinced that the team will be better than it was a year ago.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders said: “We’re excited for this season. We’ve worked hard all offseason, we’ve gotten better, a lot better, I would say, defensive linemen (defensive backs). And practice is a lot more competitive than last year. And I’m just excited to get out there because I know the game is going to be easier than it was in practice.”
Shilo Sanders, a veteran safety, sat next to his brother and said, “The closer we get to the season, the less I feel like talking a lot. I didn’t want to do that today. We play in about two weeks and I’m ready to just go out there and show everyone what’s what.”
A year ago, the Buffs, led by Coach Prime, were one of the most watched teams in the country because of the buzz around him, his sons and the program in general. But the Buffs didn’t win as often as Sanders is used to.
There is motivation to change that this year, but Shedeur and Shilo gave factual answers about the approach for this season.
“We take it game by game, you know?” Shilo said. “So we’re just going to focus on the upcoming game (against North Dakota State) and just repeat that every week.”
Shedeur added that the Buffs are not worried about last year and are simply taking the same approach as always.
“Go out there and just do your best,” he said. “If all 11 players on both sides of the ball do that together, that’s going to lead to a win. So it’s not really anything else you should use as motivation or do differently in the offseason. You go through your normal routine and do what you normally do, and you know the outcome is going to be better because you’re a better version of yourself.”
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