Colorado Buffaloes' Deion Sanders Gives Honest Opinion Of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Haynes King

Heading into Friday's season-opening matchup at Folsom Field, there's a good deal of respect between the Colorado Buffaloes and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Expectations are high for both teams this year, and their Week 1 battle should reveal plenty.

Earlier this week, CU coach Deion Sanders sat down with CBS Colorado's Romi Bean and shared some intriguing thoughts on Georgia Tech and its biggest names, including quarterback Haynes King.

Deion Sanders On Georgia Tech's Biggest Strengths

Deion Sanders Opinion Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Haynes King Colorado Buffaloes Brent Key Coach Prime College Football Seaso — Jul 9, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Colorado head coach Deion Sanders speaks with the media during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

"First of all, they're well-coached, fundamentally sound, don't make many mistakes, physical," Sanders told Bean on "Coach Prime's Playbook." "They can run the ball."

Sanders' opinion of Georgia Tech aligns well with the national consensus and coach Brent Key's overall approach, which helped the Yellow Jackets win seven games in each of the past two seasons. Perhaps most notably, Georgia Tech's offensive line holds up well against the pass rush and played a big role in King and running back Jamal Haynes combining for about 1,500 rushing yards last year.

Somewhat similar to Colorado's opener against the North Dakota State Bison last season, the Buffs must match Georgia Tech's physicality to win on Friday evening.

"Coach Prime" added that playing a more physical brand of football will be key to Colorado's success this season.

"It's gonna be a little more physical, a little more rough," Sanders said of Colorado's approach to winning. "The defense is gonna fly around, the second year under coach (defensive coordinator Robert) Livingston, the second year under (offensive coordinator) Pat Shurmur. It's gonna be different. And I like different. I do. I know how we're thinking about the game plan and what we're gonna implement, but it's gonna be a different brand of Colorado Buffalo football."

Respect For Haynes King

Sanders also gave high praise to King, an established dual-threat quarterback entering his sixth college football season.

"Their quarterback is versatile," Sanders told Bean. "He's a threat. He's really darn good. I like everything about him — his swagger, his confidence, his rhythm, the way he attacks the game, his mental and physical toughness. I like everything about that young man. He's a born leader."

Fortunately for the Buffs, they faced several dual-threat quarterbacks last season and had some success defensively, beating the likes of Baylor's Sawyer Robertson and UCF's KJ Jefferson.

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"You got to get to him because he's (King) dual-threat as well," Sanders told Bean. "He can throw and run the ball, and he runs a very complex offense that involves a lot of movement. You gotta get past all that movement and see where they are, make sure you're checking off and calling things properly."

Colorado and Georgia Tech will get going on Friday at 6 p.m. MT (ESPN).