Deion Sanders linked to unexpected ACC head coaching opening

The possibility of Deion Sanders ending up at an ACC school isn't a novel one, but a major prediction market indicates it might not be the school everyone would assume. The volatile Colorado coach seemingly always has one foot out the door, but it's not Florida State that prediction market Kalshi sees as Coach Prime's immediate destination. Deion Sanders is the current second candidate for the Stanford head coaching job.

Stanford and Deion

Stanford's coaching job has really been open since the firing of Troy Taylor. Based on timing, interim coach Frank Reich was brought on board for the 2025 season. The Cardinal are 3-7 and Reich is still a slight favorite to be given the job on a more permanent basis. But Deion Sanders is second among the potential Stanford candidates based on Kalshi's current predictive odds.

Sanders's struggles at Colorado

Sanders could certainly be on the move from Colorado, where the Buffs have already cinched his second losing season in three years. Sanders and Colorado won nine games in 2024, but life has proven more challenging without Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter on the field. Meanwhile, Colorado athletic director Rick George, who hired Sanders, has announced that he'll be stepping down from his position in July.

Sanders is more commonly linked with Florida State, where he starred for Bobby Bowden's Seminoles. Sanders grew up in Florida, so he certainly has other ties with the area. But with Florida State's myriad recent football struggles, the possibility of Coach Prime as a Seminole is one that has been a frequent topic.

Stanford's struggles

Meanwhile, Stanford has struggled horribly since finding success with David Shaw more than a decade ago. Stanford hadn't won 10 games between 1992 and 2010, when Jim Harbaugh topped his rebuild with a 12-1 season and an Orange Bowl victory. David Shaw than led Stanford to five 10+ win seasons in his first six years. But Stanford hasn't won more than four games since 2018.

Former Indianapolis Colt coach Reich has been solid in his 3-7 interim season, but it is fair to wonder if the 63-year old with no prior college coaching experience is a top candidate. Sanders hasn't always won a ton (he's a career 60-46 between high school and college coaching tenures), but his teams tend to be exciting and offensively explosive. A poor season at Colorado might just allow the Cardinal to bring in a bigger, flashier hire than most anyone was expecting.

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