Everything Deion Sanders Said At Big 12 Football Media Day

Coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes are back.

"Coach Prime" took to the podium for the first time since April's spring game on Wednesday at Big 12 Football Media Day at The Star in Frisco, Texas. It's also his first public appearance since a report that the 57-year-old coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer was battling an undisclosed illness.

Jul 9, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Colorado head coach Deion Sanders walks onto the stage during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

He bluntly addressed the matter, as well as discussing Colorado's looming quarterback battle between veteran Liberty Flames transfer Kaidon Salter and prized freshman Julian Lewis. Both signal callers are set to speak at the media day.

Many have questioned Colorado's viability without Sanders's son and like-son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders and wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter. Two crucial pieces to the Buffs' future, offensive tackle Jordan Seaton and cornerback DJ McKinney, are also representing at The Star.

Coach Prime, as always, had time on Wednesday.

Opening statement:

"God is good. You have no idea how good he is. [Big 12 Commissioner] Brad Yormark. I love you, man, I appreciate you. I think we have the best Commissioner. I don't think, I know we have the best commissioner in college football, man, and he's called me daily. Checked on me. Made sure I'm straight, made sure I'm getting better and better. And I love you to life, my brother. I know you're somewhere as clean as the Board of Health right now. And I love you to life, and you are absolutely the best, what you have in store for the Big 12.

"Rick [George], my AD, love you to life. You've always believed. You've always been a man of a standard, and I thank you for giving me a tremendous opportunity. The coaches of the Big 12 are incredible. I love them. They've been calling, checking on me, making sure I'm straight. But you talk about knowing football, teaching football, communicating with their kids, none of this stupid animosity or jealousy. I love the coaches of the Big 12. I want to beat them all, but I love them. I truly do.

"We sold out season tickets for the third straight season and 11th time in CU history. Prior to 2023, it had been 26 years since we sold out, which is incredible. I'm truly thankful of that. Class rankings, class No. 24 of all third straight top 25 class. First time on record, top three straight top 25 classes. I love it.

"Our coaching staff. This is without Byron Leftwich, which I'm praying that he does the right thing, and Mike Zimmer. We have 160 years of NFL experience. With those two added, that's 204 years of NFL experience, and I want those years.

"Last season, the first season in CU history [and] only team in the country to appear on network television or flagship station of ESPN every single dern game. I love it, and for right now, we have four games slated for network television as well as ESPN. There's Georgia, Tech, Delaware, Houston and BYU opening out the gate, so we will be seen and we will be heard and we will be known. You youngsters out there, they're still trying to decide where you want to land."

Jul 9, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Arizona head coach Brent Brennan and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders talk on stage during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

On overcoming adversity to instill strength:

"First of all, I trust God with all my might, all my soul and everything I have. I never waver. I never say, 'Why me,' regardless of what's ahead of me or what I see, like, 'Lord, just use me. If you could use anything, you could use me.' So I'm truly thankful. I'm truly a go-getter. I want to win at all costs. I want to win the right way. I want to set the right standards. And I want to prepare these young men for life, not just football. I want them to be professional.

"Second of all, I forgot, where's Michael Irvin, the playmaker. He came here with me today. Man, I love you to life. Man, I just want you to know that. I want to tell you in front of everybody, I love you to life. I really do. Thank you, you're gonna make me cry up here. Thank you for being you. Man, I really do. Boy, I love you."

On the challenges faced due to health:

"[The] Athletic, sometimes y'all be on that bull junk. So I'm really not going to tell you much. You know that. But I'm not here to talk about my health. I'm here to talk about my team. . . I'm looking good. I'm living lovely. God has truly blessed me. Not a care in the world, not a want or desire in the world."

On the wide receiver room:

"They are unbelievable. They are awesome. I can't wait to unleash them. They're great. Now you got to understand, they're replacing some dogs that all of them are will be in a profession. All four of them will be in a professional camp from a year ago. But these young men are unbelievable. I can't wait 'till the world gets a glimpse of these receivers. We have some youngsters, from freshmen on up, that can flat-out go get it. And I'm proud. I'm proud of our recruits, our coaches. I'm proud of what we've brought into Boulder, Colorado."

On whether Colorado could utilize both quarterbacks:

"We brought both of them because I don't know which one's gonna start. . . Yeah, as long as they're doing their jobs and we're winning. We definitely want to continue to develop JuJu, but Kaidon is unbelievable. Kaidon is off the chain. He's been there, done that. He can get the job done. I wouldn't have brought him here if I didn't trust him, but JuJu is coming around the mountain when he comes. And I love him. I love what he brings to the table. I don't know how it's going to play out. As long as it plays out, we can't lose either way with either those two."

Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) during the spring game at Folsom Field. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

On his relationship with Texas Tech Red Raiders coach Joey Maguire:

"Joey got some money. Joey, where you at baby? Spending that money. I love it. I love it. Once upon a time, you guys were talking junk about me going in that portal. Now, when everybody goes to portal, it's okay. It's cool when they do it, but it's a problem when I do it. Ain't that a rap song?

"First of all, let's get this straight. I love me some Joey Maguire, one of the best coaches in our conference. I've seen him excel from high school all the way to where he is now. And he's a winner, and I absolutely love it. And, you know, I love him because he's a man of standard. We played there last year, and we were getting bombarded by tortillas. Joey grabbed the microphone and told him to stop throwing at us, or it's gonna be some consequences. And I love that. And I love Joey. Joey, I know you're out there, baby. I love you, man. I appreciate you. Can you send a few of those dollars to us so we could get some of those players too?"

On long-term program building due to the Big 12's expansion:

"I started this by saying I love our Commissioner, I love our AD, and they've provided a luxury of growth, of unity and respect. So, our long-term plans are to win. Our short-term plans are to win. I have a simple formula. It's like 40, 20 grad transfers, transfers and high school kids. So I stick to what we do, what we know that works for us. It may not work for somebody else, but it works for us, and it's been working for us, so I'm pleased with it."

MORE: Deion Sanders Hints At Colorado Buffaloes Return After Battling Health Issues

MORE: Colorado Buffaloes Battling Ole Miss, Florida State For 4-Star Linebacker Recruit

MORE: Why Jacksonville Jaguars' Travis Hunter Deserves Top-100 Player Status As NFL Rookie

On using music to gauge a team's identity:

"The feeling, man. I gotta get a feeling for the team. I got a feeling. Gotta get a feeling for how they move, how they work, what they want, their needs. See, I'm old school, not an old fool. I'm old school, but I gotta adapt to what's now and what's current. So sometimes I may let big Jordan Seaton, the big fella, who's a phenomenal player, who's gonna be a first-rounder, [choose]. This is a testimony, this is how much I love my players. Big fella called me yesterday and FaceTimed me, and I was out there watching [Shedeur Sanders] train. He was preparing at the crib for his tremendous season that he's going to have. And big fella called me, said, 'Coach, we fly in and we get in, like, six, but I need to go somewhere get my hair braided because my hair is raggedy.' And I said, 'Okay, what you thinking?' He said, 'Well, how far is downtown? Because I think we'll be in McKinney.' I say, 'I think you can make it at a reasonable time.' It doesn't happen.

"But the moral of the story is, I'm happy that my players can call me about getting their hair braided. There it is. I don't know how many other coaches in the Big 12 that the players can call them about getting their hair braided. And I love the big fella, man, and he's gonna be a phenomenal player, along with other guys that we brought."

On playing the TCU Horned Frogs in 2023:

"It was everything. It was the genesis of my coaching career in major college football. It was the genesis of using Travis and Shedeur and the players that we featured in our program. And it was phenomenal. I mean, I'm excited about coming back to Texas to play because, you know, this is my second home now, but I absolutely love it. They have a wonderful coach as well, and I'm pleased and I'm thankful. I think I saw him. I was in Papados over across town one day, and his old staff rolled up in there, and he showed love. So I'm thankful for that as well. But I can't wait. I can't wait to come back as well as Houston. We go to Houston as well. So I can't wait. We have two games in Texas, which is phenomenal. It allows us to recruit tremendously."

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. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

On what he would change about college football:

"It's got to be a salary cap on this stuff, because this stuff is going crazy, and nobody knows where it's going to land, where it's going to end, and you have so many different doors. It's like I would see a player that said he got an offer from another school. And I'm trying to figure out why you guys haven't investigated and how is that possible when the guy's not in the portal? How's that? Now, if that was one of my players, you guys would be all over it. I'm trying to figure out, how can somebody say you got a $5 million offer? And the kid is not in the portal? So I think we need to be upright and upstanding.

"Secondly, I like the professional rules to be implemented in college. They're getting ready to be pros, so let's go two feet in on the catches, let's mark the foul, if it's pass interference. Let's do the same thing the pro game is, let's reduce it to college, and let's do something about the uniforms. We got guys out there in backer shorts. That makes me sick, because I'm a football guy, like, like, I played this game at a high level, and I have so much respect for this game. And how can we allow guys out there in backer shorts, no knee pads, no nothing, literally, pants up under their thighs, and that's cool. So I think that should be fine, implemented for that stuff.

"And let's have more respect for this tremendous game. Now, I could go all day when you talk about making changes, but we have a pretty good game, a darn good game, one of the best games, I think in sports. That's why we attract so many people, especially the Colorado Buffaloes. We attract so many eyeballs. You want to see us win, you want to see us lose, but you want to see us, but I wish we could implement some of those things."