Colorado's Deion Sanders 'Happy About NIL' and More

Buffaloes head football coach discusses NIL and the upcoming season

Mar 30, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Colorado Buffaloes football head coach Deion Sanders / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders has a roster in Boulder full of breakthrough NIL performers, including Heisman hopefuls Travis Hunter and Sanders' son, Shedeur. As a polarizing personality, a media darling and a marketing superstar himself, Coach Prime has revolutionized the NIL space himself.

In a recent interview with BET.com, Sanders spoke about the NIL landscape and what he likes about it.

“I'm happy about NIL because players who are truly making a difference, who are going to get it deserve it. But I want them to keep in mind that they’re playing for a bigger prize and that's the NFL,” Sanders told BET.com. “So you can’t get lackadaisical that you don’t work hard because you got a ship sailing in of thousands of dollars each month that you can help family members and all that.”

Sanders, despite liking NIL deals, wants his players to understand that there's more than just making money now. For some of his players, the goal is to continue playing football after college in the NFL.

He later added that he loves that kids are being compensated for their name, image, and likeness, but doesn't like family members applying pressure on players.

Colorado had a disappointing season in Sanders' first season as the head coach. His expectation is that they're going to win. His goal is to win and with his son Shedeur Sanders and superstar Travis Hunter, the Buffaloes will be well-positioned to find success.

The former NFL great has done everything he can to put his team in a position to succeed moving forward. Now, it's time for them to go out there and do what they need to do. NIL deals, facilities, and everything else, Colorado should start seeing wins on the field, too.