Deion Sanders Takes Shot at Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders took a shot at Pitt Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi.

Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports / Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders and Pitt Panthers head coach have beefed with each other before and it continues on to this day, with a shot from Sanders this time around.

Sanders fielded a question about two Panthers transfers that chose to commit to join the Buffaloes in defensive ends Samuel Okunlola and Dayon Hayes. He chose to mock Narduzzi, thanking him for "preparing" those athletes to play for the Buffaloes.

Okunlola left following the end of the season and Hayes would leave after spring ball, while also admitting he didn't believe in the direction of the program for his final collegiate season.

"First of all, I want to drigress a minute, I want to thank the head coach of Pittsburgh for really preparing those young men for us," Sanders said. "He did a great job. I love those two young men. They're really great players and they're going to be pros and I heard that someone took a shot at one of them verbally. So Mr. Hayes just wanted me to make sure I added that in for him. Thank you Pittsburgh. I appreciate everything."

Coach Prime kept the receipts 😂

When talking about Pitt transfers Dayon Hayes and Samuel Okunlola Prime said “I want to thank the head coach from Pittsburgh for preparing those young men for us” https://t.co/t2IykEBzlB pic.twitter.com/URPSmbUB3c

— DNVR Buffs (@DNVR_Buffs) August 9, 2024

Narduzzi started the beef with Sanders prior to the latter's first season in charge of Colorado, when he chose to make a big change of his roster. 70 players left the program, including 51 on scholarship, something that Narduzzi criticized Sanders for doing.

"That's not the way it's meant to be," Narduzzi said. "That's not what the rule intended to be. It was not to overhaul your roster. We'll see how it works out but that, to me, looks bad on college football coaches across the country. The reflection is on one guy right now but when you look at it overall — those kids that have moms and dads and brothers and sisters and goals in life — I don't know how many of those 70 that left really wanted to leave or they were kicked in the butt to get out."

Sanders would respond to Narduzzi, saying that Narduzzi is mad due to the changing college football landscape and that his best player left the program in Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison to USC.

"What was his situation when he came to Pitt?" Sanders said. "He had a different situation than me. He is not mad at me, he is mad at the situation in football now that allowed his best player to leave a year ago. He’s not mad at me, he’s using me to shoot bullets at another coach who he has an issue with." 

"I don’t know who he is," Sanders continued. "If he walked in here right now, I wouldn’t know him."

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