Buffs Beat

Why Recent History Matters In Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes Job Security

While this season has fallen short of expectations, Deion Sanders has still led the Colorado Buffaloes to more success in his three years than other recent head coaches. Athletic director Rick George remains "100%" in support of "Coach Prime."
Jack Carlough|
Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks along the sidelines late in the fourth quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images
Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks along the sidelines late in the fourth quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

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Colorado Buffaloes

While the Colorado Buffaloes certainly haven't performed to expectations this season at 3-7, any pleas to move on from coach Deion Sanders are simply naive to recent history.

Colorado was coming off a one-win 2022 season when "Coach Prime" arrived that winter, and the Buffs have since won 16 games, including seven in Big 12 Conference play last year. Even more, cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter became the program's second-ever Heisman Trophy winner, leading the Buffs to their first non-COVID bowl game since 2016 last fall.

In response to a social media post questioning Sanders' future in Boulder, former NFL linebacker and Fox Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho reminded the college football world that "Coach Prime" deserves added patience.

Why Recent History Matters Deion Sanders Colorado Buffaloes Job Security Emmanuel Acho Rick George Football Coach Prime Bowl
Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders arrives before their game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

"This is dumb. Colorado has had 1 coach in 20 years who has produced a 3 year stretch better than Deion Sanders," Acho wrote. "Do the Buffaloes need to improve, absolutely. But to fire (arguably) the best coach the program has had in 20 years is ludicrous."

Acho was seemingly referring to former Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre, who led the Buffs to 20 wins from 2016 until his firing late in the 2018 season. The Buffs won 10 games in 2016 before falling in the Pac-12 Championship Game and later the Alamo Bowl.

Remembering Colorado's Pre-Deion Sanders Woes

Why Recent History Matters Deion Sanders Colorado Buffaloes Job Security Emmanuel Acho Rick George Football Coach Prime Bowl
Sep 17, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Karl Dorrell during the second quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Responding to the same social media post calling for Sanders' firing, BuffZone's Brian Howell pointed toward some intriguing pre-Coach Prime numbers. In the three seasons prior to Sanders' arrival, Colorado went 9-21 overall, 0-1 in bowl games, 0-7 vs. ranked opponents and was never ranked higher than No. 21 in the AP Poll.

"Coach Prime" has since led the Buffs to a full winning season, two wins over ranked opponents and a No. 16 spot in the AP Poll last season.

Still, "Coach Prime" didn't take Colorado's head job to become average. Winning the Big 12 Conference and qualifying for the College Football Playoff remain major goals.

MORE: What Colorado Quarterback Julian Lewis Said After Impressing In First College Start

MORE: Three Big Takeaways From the Colorado Buffaloes' Loss to West Virginia

MORE: What Deion Sanders Said After Colorado Buffaloes' Loss to West Virginia

Rick George Backs Up Coach Prime

Why Recent History Matters Deion Sanders Colorado Buffaloes Job Security Emmanuel Acho Rick George Football Coach Prime Bowl
Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes offensive lineman Jordan Seaton (77) and athletic director Rick George following the win against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Colorado athletic director Rick George shared his support for "Coach Prime" last week while appearing on the "Colorado Football Coaches Show."

"It's a challenging time with the house settlement, NIL (name, image and likeness) and revenue sharing; there's expectations out there. When you don't exceed those or meet those expectations, there's a lot of chatter and there's a lot of negativity, but I'm proud of Coach Prime," George told host Mark Johnson. "It's been a tough year for him with what he's been through. He's just been a trooper and he's working hard and he's motivating and he's doing the things I want him to do as coach."

With true freshman quarterback Julian "JuJu" Lewis set to lead the Buffs under center, Colorado will next host the Arizona State Sun Devils next on Nov. 22.

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Jack Carlough
JACK CARLOUGH

Jack Carlough is lead reporter for Colorado Buffaloes on SI. Jack graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor's degree in journalism and minors in business and sports media. Born and raised in the Boulder area, Jack began covering Colorado athletics in 2018 and was the head sports editor of the CU Independent during his college career. More recently, he spent over three years as the managing editor of the USA Today Sports Network's Colorado Buffaloes Wire, where he covered Colorado's hiring of head football coach Deion Sanders. Other publications Jack has written for include the Boulder Daily Camera, Left Hand Valley Courier and SB Nation’s Ralphie Report. In 2022, the Colorado Press Association awarded Jack second place in its annual Class 5 Best Sports Column Writing category.

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