Op-Ed: Paul Finebaum said something about Deion Sanders most at Colorado can't accept

The ESPN commentator believes Coach Prime will follow his sons right out of Boulder

Paul Finebaum wants to see Deion Sanders away from Colorado /

Paul Finebaum has the sports world trying to get an understanding of his take on Lincoln Riley being on the hot seat at USC. It's not because of lack of success since becoming the Trojans coach. One thing that can be attributed to Riley's tenure in Southern California is back-to-back winning records. He did go 11-3 and 8-5 since he was hired in 2022 respectively. Not to mention, he only has one loss against a team not ranked in the AP Top 25 since being at USC.

Riley has no problems with doing in-home visits and developing players who will be able to help the Trojans at some point during the season. He also recruits players from the transfer portal, hoping they'll provide an instant impact.

Deion Sanders' first season at Colorado didn’t go as well as anything at USC. The transfer portal approach to fill needs his team needs and immediately being successful wasn't a hit. However, it was better than a one-win season like the Buffs posted the year before Prime got to Boulder. Coach Prime has used the same tactic since his days at Jackson State, having more talent on the field than the other teams in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Sanders believed the "Louis Luggage" he was bringing to Boulder would help the Buffs win games last season and would keep the world talking. He was correct from that standpoint, with all the marketing he did for himself and the Buffs program, that only helped the team go 4-8 overall and needing a late field goal over Arizona State for the only Pac-12 conference win.

If someone were to read in between the lines, is Paul Finebaum trying to imply that Coach Prime is looking at the exit door? Is this because his sons will be playing their final seasons and will be leaving the program? As much as Sanders says he is happy where he’s at, what is keeping him at CU? Let's break this down from a realistic perspective. Outside of Shilo and Shedeur Sanders going to the NFL, Travis Hunter will likely be gone. So will a majority of his playmakers, such as Jimmy Horn Jr, Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig, B.J. Green, and others.

Why would Sanders stay to rebuild when it would mean another series of overhauls year after year? He doesn't build a huge base of high school recruits. At least not like other schools and the transfer portal has been his saving grace thus far. While other Power Five coaches are using a private jet to make home visits, Coach Prime is gassing up for vacations to Miami, Dominican Republic, and Mexico.

Actions speak louder than words. Just ask the folks at Jackson State how many times Sanders said he was committed to the program for the long haul before it was announced that he was leaving for Colorado. Nobody can blame him for wanting a better opportunity, but there's also no need to oversell the idea you're staying with two feet out the door.

Coach Prime has always been calculated when divulging information, making sure when the time is right that "bits and pieces" are provided to keep everyone entertained and hungry to hear more. One thing that can be attributed to the way Sanders moves is that he never changes his playbook.

The growing questions of whether he will stay or go has quieted down because the season is near, hoping the team can win games to keep the question about moving on from being brought up. When the end was near at Jackson State, the football team was on their way to an undefeated regular season and the fans were excited about the team continuing to win, which drowned out the small amount of noise that Coach Prime was leaving.

Could it be that Paul Finebaum sees something that many of the Buffs fans have yet to realize? Coach Prime doesn’t like to lose, his sons will be gone, and doesn’t believe in rebuilding a football program with younger players outside of the transfer portal. And if Colorado has another losing season, will the Buffaloes faithful begin to grow tired of all the hype without the wins to go along with the slick catchphrases? Is anyone starting to become a "non-believer" with what's going on in Boulder?

Did Finebaum use Riley to make his take on Sanders based on the infinite love they both have to recruit players out of the transfer portal? Watching more athletes leave their programs as a means to say that Colorado needs to prepare for life A.P. (After Prime).