“There’s nothing normal about Coach Prime”: Urban Meyer raves about Deion Sanders' audacious Colorado rebuild attempt with over 80 new players
Many college football fans were surprised when Deion Sanders was hired as the Colorado head coach. However, as he prepares to begin his first season in charge at Boulder, especially after overhauling the team's roster, it's becoming clear that Sanders is not an average coach.
Most importantly, prominent figures in college football are starting to recognize his efforts. Former Florida Gators coach Urban Meyer's recent comment is a prime example.
On "College Football on Fox" a couple of days ago, Meyer weighed in on the expectations for Sanders in his first season. He started by providing background on the team before Sanders’ appointment.
Meyer referenced the Buffaloes’ decline after winning the 1999 national championship. The slump climaxed with a horrible 1-11 record in 2022, which prompted the sacking of the then-head coach, Karl Dorrell.
Meyer admitted he was pleased with the level of work done the last time he visited Boulder. According to him, Sanders has “hired an excellent staff,” and “they look like a real football team out there.”
However, Meyer's answer wasn't straightforward on whether Deion Sanders will make a success out of the team he’s built.
First, he clarified that success would be defined differently for different college football coaches depending on their job description upon their appointment.
For Sanders, Meyer speculated that Colorado's objective would be that he should win half of his games in his first season. Then, Sanders could compete for the championship in his second year.
Meyer said:
"Will Deion Sanders be successful here?' Let's define success. Every coach hired at a school has a job description. I'll never forget mine at Ohio State. I took it home after meeting with Gene Smith, athletic director. Number one, beat your rival. Number two, win every game you play."
He then went on to admit that, “There’s nothing normal about Coach Prime. This is the ultimate experiment.”
Whether this is taken positively or otherwise, it compliments Sanders’ coaching ability. If anything, being normal hardly takes one anywhere in the highly competitive world of college football. And this is a fact well-known to highly successful coaches like Urban Meyer.
Will Deion Sanders achieve success at Colorado?
Success is also not strange to Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. After a very successful college career, he had an equally successful NFL and MLB career.
Sanders' coaching career has taken him around, working with teenagers in high school before taking up the head coaching role at Jackson State. It was at Jackson State that he asserted his coaching genius.
In just one off-season, Deion Sanders has carried out a comprehensive overhaul of the Buffs roster, bringing in 86 new players. The success of this experiment will be seen as he kicks off his first season in charge against the TCU Horned Frogs today.