Paul Finebaum warns Dan Patrick about "Deion Police" after slamming Coach Prime

The award-winning broadcaster questions Deion Sanders' abilities as a coach

Dan Patrick says "I don't know if Deion Sanders can coach" /

The Colorado Buffaloes are counting down the days until the 2024 football season. They officially rejoined the Big 12 on Friday in a significant move towards the future. After going 4-8 to end last season, including a six-game losing streak, many have questioned Deion Sanders' approach. It was an improvement from the previous season, but this year will be a test for the Buffs. 

Sanders has used the transfer portal similar to NFL free agency, pulling in the No. 8 ranked class nationally. However, traditional recruiting methods have been a challenge with one of the worst rankings in FBS (81st, 247Sports) with only 13 high school players signed. This is one of the reasons why ESPN's Paul Finebaum and others have been highly critical of Coach Prime and the program.  
Dan Patrick had the college football host on his show Friday and added to the criticism,  saying he isn't sure of Sanders' abilities as a coach

"I don't know if Deion can coach," Patrick said during the interview. "I don't know if he can recruit." The comments prompted Finebaum to remind him of the mob. "Oh boy, Dan, you're about to get attacked by the Deion police"

He went on to say, "Look, I would say it to him. He won four games last year. The over/ under this year is five and a half. I said if you didn't get Deion last year, you're not going to get him this year. I might have to amend that. So, I'm thinking Deion is going to be better this year and if he isn't, he loses Travis Hunter, he loses his son... I mean, come on"

Keyshawn Johnson says USC admins won't consider Coach Prime, citing race factor

Finebaum had a harsh critique about Sanders and seemed to double down about him being a celebrity figure and less of a coach. He said Coach Prime would be a great fit in Southern California and elaborated on that during the interview with Patrick. 

"Deion is not really a coach," Finebaum said. "He's a producer. You know, he's like they bring Spielberg into the movie. He fixes it up. He gets a lot of special effects that's what he does and my argument a couple weeks ago was that you bring him into LA. The town is on fire. Just like it was for about a minute under Lincoln Riley. He had everything going for him and then suddenly he didn't. 

"My argument about LA is it's a town of winners. They don't like the losers out there and suddenly Lincoln Riley looks like a loser. And I think it's going to continue that way. So, no, Deion is not Bill Belichick and Nick Saban wrapped into one but he is a dynamic figure. He gets ratings. He brings excitement and that brings players."

Sanders and the Buffs are less than a month away from opening the 2024 season against North Dakota State on Thursday, August 29 (8 p.m. ET/TV:ESPN).