Deion Sanders sets tone for the media on Day 3 of CU's Fall Camp
Deion Sanders spoke with the media for the first time since the Spring Game and he made it clear, he’s not entertaining the nonsense.
There were several questions asked on Friday, that anyone who’s followed Coach Prime's CU journey, knew he was not going to indulge. Every reporter ever will have a few questions worth asking from their perspective. The problem arises when the person asked to answer those questions is just wired differently. Prime just isn’t interested in some of the games he’s seen run their course over his almost 40 years of playing football, covering football as a member of the media, and now coaching football.
The Colorado Buffaloes have maybe the one football coach in the world who is not going to conform to media-coach norms, just because that’s the way it’s been. It's also the most entertaining aspect of the 2023 CU Buffs off-season. The college football pundits try to put Coach Prime in the same box with every other coach in college football history. The fact of the matter is what’s happening now… has never happened before.
It’s surprising this still needs to be said. No head coach in the history of ever has gone from FCS to Power Five, THEN overturned 90 percent of the roster, masterfully utilizing the transfer portal. Now, keep in mind, the transfer portal has only existed for five years. Sanders has gone into his first season with a completely different team that in no way, shape, or form resembles the team he inherited. This has never happened before. Therefore, you, me, anyone cannot simply try to apply precedent or history to dictate what Coach Prime’s Buffaloes will do.
Mack Brown believes Deion Sanders embodies the best in college football
Sanders even echoed this sentiment when he all but completely dismissed a question around the subject of pre-season projections. He would go on to say, “No one knows what’s going to happen and no one ever gets it exactly right. I feel like I know what’s going to happen, but I don’t KNOW what’s going to happen…”
In almost every ‘important’ press conference, there seems to always be one question asked that makes everyone else in the room uneasy. A reporter asks a question hoping to get a soundbite they are never going to get, or a columnist will ask a confrontational question, which the coach or player will typically not even gratify with a response. Today, that one question came in the form of poking the bear. Every coach has a job to do just like members of the media have to try and tell a story.
However, when limited access to players and practice occur in the first week, a confrontational question intended to put a coach on the defensive, is rarely an approach that renders positive results. My only question at that moment was, did anyone actually believe Coach Prime would take the bait? I assure everyone reading this, he would not.
The other significant story that seems to be on everyone’s mind except that of Coach Prime's continues to be conference realignment. This should not come as a galloping shock to anyone who has followed along over the past eight months. When he's been asked about what he wants to do, plans to do, expects to do, his answer is always the same."We’re going to win. Without exception or qualifier. It’s never, we’re going to win, in this context, or we’re going to win if we only play these certain teams. Prime does not care who the Buffs face, or what conference they're affixed to at the moment. None of that matters when he’s preparing a team win regardless of the situation.
When the question of realignment was asked, Sanders did not even wait for the completed question before saying, “All this is about money. You know that. It’s about a bag. Everyone’s chasing a bag. How do adults get mad at the players when they do it?” Then a follow up of “two more teams moved today…” to which Prime responded with, “Yeah, the same teams that have been talking about us” as the room shared in a laugh. This was clearly a shot at Oregon coach Dan Lanning, who just days ago took a cheap shot at Colorado leaving the Pac-12. As if we didn’t already know Oregon had already planned to leave the Big 12 as well.
Deion Sanders reiterates conference realignment all about the money
Coach Prime did field some questions regarding the difference between the team today as compared to what we saw in the Spring. In each case, Deion Sanders was very complimentary of where the team is today and the strides they took to get here since March.
“These guys are really solid and really unified and they know what the common goal is," Sanders noted. "I love what I’m seeing. We need to give these players credit for what they’re doing.” Regarding unity and coming together as a team, Prime related it to kid problems vs. adult problems. Adults have a problem getting along, kids don’t. “Adults are with the foolishness, kids just want to be happy and play ball.”
Coach Prime did offer up a few gems of wisdom. “The culture was already here; they just have to be a part of it”. The second part was a question that was asked, does the team unity come from the fact you’re doing things differently?
“I don’t think it's different, I just think it's how I do things," Sanders exclaimed. "I played the ‘dern’ game, I know what I’m doing.”
In the vein of complex questions that get simple answers, Prime was asked, what do you feel is your biggest challenge? His response might be the best ‘per word’ response of the day. “We don’t have challenges, we present challenges.”
A selection of players were referenced by both the coach and the media. There were two types of answers. Zach Blackwood returning to JUCO was brought up, Prime spent literally zero time answering that question, but used it as an opportunity to address the growing narrative that more players are coming.
He started doing the math on the 115 players currently on the roster and the 70 that can dress. He then looks off stage left to his daughter and CU basketball player, Shelomi Sanders, to assist with the math. Then when an answer wasn’t immediate, looks at the audience of media members and laughs off that “Sanders’ are not great at math”. Then Prime looked at the reporter that asked the question and with great comedic timing said, “You think we still need more people”?
The typical cast of players were talked about and have been almost exclusively Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. The two CU reps at Pac-12 Media Day with defensive coordinator Charles Kelly, who was filling in for Coach Prime. I personally believe both of those individuals will be in line for award contention come season’s end, but they won’t win games by themselves.
Dylan Edwards was the subject of the first inquiry. Prime revealed that the top 150 recruit was not only a dog, but he wants all the smoke. He also said Edwards has put on almost an additional 15 pounds since the spring, bringing him to nearly 180 lbs. As of today, we are also now aware that we should get used to the idea of seeing Dylan Edwards returning kicks and will likely be used on offense in ways that extend beyond the prototype RB role.
The player that was discussed, that probably has the most ‘juice’, is not a 4- or 5-star recruit that the national media has tracked for months. It’s not Travis Hunter. It’s not Cormani McClain. It’s not Jimmy Horn Jr. The player in question was Charlie Offerdahl. If you’re confused, don’t worry, it’ll make sense.
Offerdahl is one of the few carryovers from the previous CU team that went 1-11 last year. If you remember back to the first meetings following the Coach Prime announcement, he was very clear to say, just because you’re here now, does not mean you are guaranteed to be here come the fall. This is the famous “I’m bringing my luggage with me and its Louis” speech. Even after that, Sanders met with each individual position group, and the theme was the same.
Prime was bringing a bunch of dogs and if you want to be here, you better be willing to put in the work and prove you deserve to be here. Offerdahl heard that message loud and clear. Sanders was glowing in his praise for Offerdahl, who he calls “Charlie Often Ball”, excluding the mustache, “I love everything else about that kid. I wish every walk-on could understand his mentality.”
It’s apparent from Prime’s praise that Offerdahl is most likely the player that the other players root for the most. There’s a real “Rudy” vibe surrounding Charlie. Not in the lack of playing time, because I do believe we will see a fair amount of Offerdahl in 2023, but more in how the players respond to him. Even the very highly discussed players. Prime further added that if Dylan Edwards ran for 12 yards, then Offerdahl ran for 13, every teammate would pop for Offerdahl. Which is one more marker of the indications of a team coming together.
The final big question that seems to get played up as so much bigger than it should be is the player’s social media handles on the nameplate of their practice jerseys instead of the government last names. Coach Prime’s answer was extremely simple. “Everybody wants to be noticed. So why not help them? That’s my obligation to my team. I only wish they could wear them in a game.”
If that’s not enough, zoom out. One of the reasons Sanders will start to separate himself from the field of other college football coaches is his ability to connect with players and help them not fall back on some archaic dynamic that the players serve the coach in all things.
From Jackson State to Colorado the motivation is the same. Connect with the players at a level they understand. That’s why there is a social media machine constantly promoting Coach Prime and his interests. That’s why there is a theme song every season. Prime confirmed this year’s theme songs will be Halftime by the Ying Yang Twins, Gangsta Party by Tupac featuring Snoop Dogg, and he’s leaving a spot open for a possible country selection.
It’s also why players have their social media handles instead of their name. There is a symbiotic relationship between coaching staff and players. It’s why many analysts predicted Cormani McClain to flip as well as suggesting Deion flipping prospects is not going anywhere anytime soon.
The important thing to take away from today is that once again, Coach Prime has made it clear that he’s not every other coach. His team is not every other team. You cannot put him or this program in the same box with everyone else. Nothing about this is the same as before or even follows a previous model.
Therefore, his staff and his team are not interested in what’s typical. Prime did not just accept the team he was given, and he similarly is not going to wait three years to win. As he said multiple times, “We’re going to win” without exception or qualifier.
