Why Deion Sanders' Contract Extension With Colorado Is Paying Off Despite Recent Struggles

Despite the regular season having one more week to be played, the college football coaching carousel has been turning for most of the season. Before it ever started, however, Colorado signed Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders to a five-year contract extension worth $54 million in the spring of 2025.

A number of high-profile jobs have already come open, but coaches like Vanderbilt's Clark Lea, Nebraska's Matt Rhule, Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz, and Texas A&M's Mike Elko have all signed extensions with their respective programs. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin remains the hottest name on the market, and the Buffs seemingly avoided the coaching carousel thanks to Colorado athletic Rick George.

The price for college football coaches has only risen, especially with programs like Florida, LSU, and Penn State available for leverage.

Colorado Buffaloes Deion Sanders contract extension negotiation coaching carousel vanderbilt commodores clark lea mike elko — Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea works with his team during the third quarter against Kentucky at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Elko is reportedly set to earn over an average of $11 million per season through 2031, and Lea also signed a six-year deal that affirms Vanderbilt's commitment to his coaching staff and the football program in general. Colorado made Sanders the highest-paid coach in the Big 12, but "Coach Prime" made it clear during negotiations that he wanted to take care of "everybody else."

Now, will Colorado have any regrets after the Buffs' 3-8 season in 2025?

Biggest Questions For Deion Sanders in Boulder

"Coach Prime" did not truly unleash quarterback Julian "JuJu" Lewis until November, and the Buffaloes struggled to replace the production lost to the NFL. Still, Sanders has built a core in Boulder that features Lewis, wide receiver Joseph Williams, and defensive ends Brandon Davis-Swain and London Merritt, to name a few.

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One of the biggest tasks of the offseason for Sanders and his staff will be retaining key members of the roster. Lewis already announced his commitment to Colorado, but the future is less clear for other Buffs.

Sanders' running backs coach, Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk is reportedly set to become the coach at Southern University, giving "Coach Prime" at least one important hire to make in the offseason. In November, Sanders handed play-calling duties over to Colorado wide receivers coach Brett Bartolone after the Buffs offense struggled under offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Will Sanders make any more changes to his own coaching staff before the 2026 season?

How busy will Colorado be in the transfer portal? The Buffaloes struggled to reload in 2025, and they might be tasked with doing so again in 2026 as a result. Sanders and company have commits from four-star linebackers Carson Crawford and Rodney Colton Jr. as well as four-star safety Preston Ashley in the 2026 recruiting class, but the Buffaloes are likely to pursue some transfers on the defensive side of the ball.

With 10 commits as of Nov. 28, Sanders revealed the Colorado is looking to sign between five to seven more high school recruits.

While the page is practically turned to 2026 with Lewis sitting out in Colorado's season finale to preserve his redshirt, the Buffaloes will take on Kansas State at 10 a.m. MT on Saturday.

Biggest Questions For Deion Sanders in Boulder

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