Deion Sanders Discusses New Level of Expectation at Colorado

The Pro Football Hall of Famer weighed in on the new mindset he is building in the Buffaloes’ program.

Deion Sanders is quickly changing the culture and the mindset of Colorado football as he enters his first season as the program’s coach.

In more than two months on the job, the Pro Football Hall of Famer has landed top level recruits, players from the transfer portal and a well-grounded coaching staff as well players from Jackson State—that include his son Shedeur and star two-way sensation Travis Hunter. And he has the goal to resurrect a Buffaloes’ program coming off its most substandard season since 2012.

While Sanders has proven that he can revitalize a program after going 27–6 and winning two SWAC championships at Jackson State, the 55-year-old will have his hands full leading Colorado to the pinnacle of the Pac-12 that includes stiffer with teams like USC, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Oregon State and UCLA to name a few. However, Sanders has made it clear that the standard of excellence in the program has been raised to a new bar.

“It’s a whole different level of expectation around here, and you got to be able to play the game,” Sanders told ESPN. “So a certain level that might have been welcome, that level is no longer welcomed here. It’s a whole different game now.”

Sanders’s coaching prowess and resources will be put to the test when Colorado opens the season against College Football Playoff runner-up TCU on the road before facing Nebraska, Oregon and USC in the month of September.