Deion Sanders says he's rooted at Colorado, but will there be an extension coming?

Coach Prime says he wants to 'plant his flag' in Boulder beyond this year

Kris Miller/SI

The battle cry long ago was “Remember the Alamo” as Texas fought for independence from Mexico before becoming our nation’s 28th state in the mid 1840’s.

The University of Colorado football team and fans paying exorbitant prices for tickets and hotel rooms in San Antonio? Considering BYU’s battering? Perhaps the takeaway will be similar. The Buffs stunk. Attendance fell short of Coach Prime’s challenge to Buff Nation to break the 66,000 record. Nothing good here.

Those bedecked in Buffs black and gold sensed trouble was amuck before kickoff. Ralphie was present and offered the most unenthusiastic charge around the field ever witnessed. The female bovine seemed dazed and confused. It was a sign.

Two of the greatest players to don a Colorado uniform played their final game. One showed up and demonstrated why the Buffs have a second Heisman to brag about. Each will be gone quickly in next year’s NFL draft. Special talents gracing Folsom Field and, along with teammates, bringing magic back to the foot of the Flatirons. It’s been a while.

From an observant of Colorado football for five decades and not getting younger? Wonders of whether similar talents will come along before this 66-year-old no longer fogs a mirror. Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. Thanks for the memories.

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What does the future hold? I think it holds promise. Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders appears sincere when stating, “I ain’t going anywhere.” If that holds true? The system created and evolved after athletic director Rick George and Sanders shook hands? It appears to be navigating rather well the turbulent world of NIL and transfer portals.

To steal a phrase muttered long ago from George, “It’s the wild, wild West.” It sure is with a growing chorus of respected college football minds, including Penn State head coach James Franklin, calling for sanity. Emotional cries for a “commissioner” and “changes to the portal transfer window” and “ditch the conference title games” becoming harmonious of this insane path college football is currently traversing.

In all this messiness sits the Buffs. Primed to take advantage of the current rules. Many young standouts are enrolling. Either direct from high school or other programs where a gifted athlete holding potential and desire for an NFL future see the benefits of hitching their futures to what’s unfolding in Boulder.

Athletically superior emerging men and their families look into the future and like what they see. Time spent honing skills while maturing as humans under Sanders, legendary players turned coaches/consultants and the exposure playing for a team constantly showcased on national television? Oh, and a program on the rise in wins and respect?

Hunter just signed with Lil Wayne’s Young Money sports agency. You can imagine the recruiting pitch to the emerging best displaying unusual talents on the college football scene: “Come to Boulder, become an excellent player and watch what happens next.” Unimagined celebrity status and riches.

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Sitting with darling wife, CU graduate daughter and diehard Buff fan son, it was interesting to watch Sanders take his Alamo Bowl walk with sons and players. Moments before kickoff, the trio walked directly toward us in the Alamo Dome’s lower-bowl northeast corner.

The final time coach and boys would share a private moment before entering a battle for gridiron supremacy. The sweet-slinging quarterback and hard-hitting safety. Each known for awe-inspiring and head-scratching moments. It’s over.

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Season three of the Colorado Buffaloes under the dynamic player, coach and personality commences shortly after the NFL Hall of Fame member turns 58. The sentiment has shifted more favorably toward what many considered George’s “Hail Mary” to salvage a downtrodden program.

The Buffs ain’t coming anymore. They’re here. In the midst of college football’s most tumultuous time and pleas for reform resounding from almost everywhere? Coaches leaving the profession because it’s morphed into a monster laughingly rendering the term “Student/Athlete” to the mothballs of history?

Here sits the Buffs in the Big 12. 4-8 to 9-4. 13-12 in Sanders’ two seasons. Stellar athletes hearing the siren call of the 'Prime Finish' making them quite shiny in the eyes of NFL scouts.

Never a dull moment. Fascinating.