Deion Sanders Gets Real About Rumors of Colorado Departure

Deion Sanders opened up about the rumors that flurried about him leaving the Colorado Buffaloes to coach elsewhere.

Jul 9, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Colorado head coach Deion Sanders fixes his cap prior to speaking 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

Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders appeared on Barber Shop, hosted by Garrett Bush, and opened up about his loyalty to CU and if he considered leaving Boulder for a new job.

Deion Sanders declares his loyalty to Colorado

Sep 20, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders and wide receiver Isaiah Hardge (17) during the first quarter against the Wyoming Cowboys at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Sanders spent his entire coaching career with either one or both of his sons, Shilo and Shedeur Sanders, on his team each year. That was, until they left Colorado for the NFL. Rumors arose around their departure that Sanders would take the head coaching job of an NFL team and draft his sons, but he signed a contract extension with the Buffaloes instead. During Sanders’s interview with Bush, he clarified that he never had intentions of leaving the Buffs.

“I think certain people thought that I wanted their jobs,” Sanders said. “I never wanted their jobs. I love Colorado, I love the kids that I have in that locker room, I love the staff, I love all of it. I ain’t trying to coach in the NFL, but I think a couple people may have thought that.”

🔥 Shedeur & Browns. Coach Prime Opens Up 💛

"You can't all of the sudden get to Cleveland and flip the script. The young man that you see, thats who he's always been. I never wanted their job. I love Colorado"

📽️ @Gbush91 https://t.co/ol7s0EXNo0 pic.twitter.com/oW6FOlSjIF

— JaKi 🇺🇸 (@JaKiTruth) May 14, 2026

Sanders extended his contract with Colorado through the 2029 season, which backed up his talk of loyalty with his actions. The length of the extension, as well as its high buyout price if he ever were to seek a job elsewhere, show that he is committed to building a program in Boulder in the long-term.

How Deion Sanders’s loyalty to Colorado has made him quiet about Shedeur Sanders

Oct 7, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders with son and quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Since Shedeur Sanders departed Colorado, Coach Prime has changed his outward approach to talking about his son. He’s had very little to say about Shedeur’s NFL career and has instead used his platform to promote his players at Colorado.

During Coach Prime’s interview, he discussed how those who expected him to come after their jobs believed he would do so to follow his son. Sanders said it “troubled” him to see the narrative rotating around Shedeur as a result, despite the fact that he intended to keep his focus on the Buffaloes.

This type of issue likely explains Sanders’s change in the amount he speaks about his son, as he understands that their careers are no longer tethered to one another.

How Deion Sanders has focused on Colorado

Apr 11, 2026; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the start of the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Sanders has been plenty busy handling the task of rebuilding Colorado’s roster since Sanders’s departure anyway. After the Buffs’ 2024 season, which was the best of Coach Prime’s tenure in Boulder, the roster has undergone major renovations.

Due to a whirlwind of offseason issues and poor transfer portal scouting, Sanders’s Buffaloes took a turn for the worse in 2025. Colorado went 3-9 in 2026, winning just one conference game. No CU players heard their names called in the NFL Draft as a result, and Sanders moved the program in an entirely different direction in 2026.

Sanders fully rebuilt the roster and his staff during the offseason, bringing in a total of 61 new players from the transfer portal and recruiting trail. He’s building the Buffaloes around its bright spots from the 2025 season, such as former five-star quarterback Julian ‘JuJu’ Lewis and breakout guard Yahya Attia.

Buffs fans can rest easy knowing that Sanders’s focus is nowhere but Boulder. The steps he’s taken, including holding his tongue in most cases surrounding his sons, back that up. 

Sanders’s new-look Buffs squad will debut on Sep. 3 against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Atlanta, Georgia.

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