Deion Sanders Drawing Inspiration From Clemson's Dabo Swinney Amid Colorado Buffaloes' Early Struggles

BOULDER — Coach Deion Sanders is drawing inspiration from longtime Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney as he looks to get the Colorado Buffaloes straight after a difficult start.

While addressing his team on Monday, "Coach Prime" highlighted Clemson's 2014 season as reason to believe there's still hope despite CU's 1-2 start. Swinney's Tigers also began that year 1-2 before winning nine of their next 10 games.

"I saw a statistic after Clemson lost (to Georgia Tech on Saturday), and that's one of my favorite coaches, Dabo Swinney, to ever get on the sidelines," Sanders said, per Well Off Media. "It said the last time they were 1-2, they went on to finish, I believe, 10-2 (10-3). Why not us?"

Deion Sanders' Respect For Dabo Swinney

Deion Sanders Inspiration Dabo Swinney Colorado Buffaloes Struggles Clemson Tigers College Football National Championship CU — Sep 12, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

"Coach Prime" elaborated on his respect for Swinney on Tuesday during his weekly press conference.

"Dabo Swinney is one of my favorites," Sanders said. "I love him to life. I love the man he is, the coach he is. He's just a great guy, a guy that I can look up to in this coaching realm. Looking back on some of the things that they've accomplished, they've been sitting here before, 1-2, and they turned it all around."

Since taking Clemson's helm midway through 2008, Swinney has led the Tigers to two national championships (2016, 2018) and 13 seasons of 10-plus wins. Still, the winningest coach in Clemson football history is also under fire this week after Staurday's loss to Georgia Tech dropped the Tigers to 1-2.

"I know everyone is frustrated, but (in) 17 years, we have had one bad season," Swinney said Tuesday, per Tiger Illustrated. "The worst season we’ve had in 14 years is nine wins, and it happened one time. It’s not that we haven’t had bad moments. I’d say this is a low and a bad moment. We’ve been in this situation many times. We’re a great program because we have always responded."

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Coach Prime Confident In Colorado Turnaround

After sharing his respect for Swinney, "Coach Prime" added that the Buffs have all the pieces to engineer a turnaround of their own.

"Why not us?" Sanders said. "Why can't we turn it around? Why can't we correct the wrongs with the rights and display consistency and do those things? Because we have the talent in-house. We just gotta put it to usage and do what we are capable of doing."

Beating the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday will be a necessary step toward the Buffs' hopeful turnaround. Colorado is favored, but "Coach Prime" hopes to see consistency at quarterback and from the rest of his team.

"I'm proud of their resilience," Sanders said. "I'm proud of the way they've responded. Usually, the first days of the week are horrendous practices. They worked their butts off today. They really did."