"Don't give the numbers of where you rank in national recruiting": Deion Sanders takes a subtle dig at the recruiting process followed in CFB

Modified Nov 14, 2024 04:55 GMT

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has expressed criticism of the college football recruiting ranking. Sanders spoke at a press conference on Tuesday and discussed his program's recruiting method, among other things. He questioned the metric used in the recruiting ranking, expressing his preference for statistics about actual performance. He said (51:44-52:03):

“People have a class that they say is the No. 1 class in the nation, then five of those guys play or four of those guys play. Then the rest go through the spring then they jump in the portal. Give me those numbers. Don't give me the numbers of where you rank in national recruitment. Because, this is just like the NFL team. You always say who won the draft then the team gets killed all year. You don't say nothing else about it.”

Deion Sanders’ method of recruiting explained

Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes rank No. 65 on the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings for the 2025 class. Colorado has secured 10 commits for its 2025 recruiting class so far.

This includes four prospects rated four-star, two of whom are wide receivers Adrian Wilson and Quanell Farrakhan Jr., both from Texas. The Buffs are also reportedly on the verge of flipping five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, who is currently committed to the USC Trojans.

However, Deion Sanders’ recruiting strategy since taking over at Boulder has tilted more towards the transfer portal. This will likely remain so as long as he's the head coach of the Buffs, as evident in the program's high school recruiting efforts for the 2025 class.

Colorado reached a landmark 53 transfers as Coach Prime prepared for his first season in charge in 2023. This raised plenty of eyebrows, especially with the transfer of his sons, Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders, with him from Jackson State to Colorado. Another notable move from Sanders’ former program to Colorado was two-way star Travis Hunter, who Sanders had flipped from Florida State.

Sanders came under fire for his style, especially as he ended his first season with a 4-8 losing record. This is despite it being a huge improvement on the program's record from the previous season.

The program's performance on the field has improved further, as its record from the current season shows. With a 7-2 record, Colorado stands at No. 18 on the latest college football playoffs ranking. The Buffs play next on Saturday when they host Utah.