Colorado Buffaloes Players Receive Special Gift from Deion Sanders in NIL Deal

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders has partnered with a bank for a unique NIL deal for some of his players.

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. / Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Being a collegiate athlete is hard work. Being one who also has a family to take care of is even more difficult.

For the Colorado Buffaloes football team, there are a few players who fall into the latter.

Eight players on the team have children. Head coach Deion Sanders was looking to make their lives just a little bit easier, which led to him partnering with Elevations Credit Union on a unique deal through the 5430 Alliance, the school’s main NIL collective.

The deal came together rather quickly after Sanders posted on X last week that he was looking for a bank to partner with his program.

I’m looking for a Bank in Boulder or Denver that’s wants to have a business relationship with a few members of our team. It’s gonna bless whichever Bank that partners with us. Let’s Go. #CoachPrime @CUBuffsFootball @SMAC

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) August 22, 2024

A financial literacy seminar was being worked out.

“That aligned perfectly with what coach wanted to do,” said Reggie Calhoun Jr. per David Ubban of The Athletic. “Coach just took it to another level.”

Calhoun has been the director of operations and business development for the 5430 Alliance since in April.

Over the weekend, Sanders had a passionate speech about fatherhood to his team. After he finished, he invited the eight players on the team who have children to the front.

A representative from Elevations Credit Union took the stage and presented those eight players with bank accounts for their children. Each came stocked with $2,121, an ode to Sanders’ number from his playing days.

“It made my whole day. I was like, ‘This is amazing. This is crazy,’” Calhoun Jr. said. “To have a coach talking about building men and see him put the work in and put actions forth, it changes the way you view coaching in the college sports world.”

Colorado and Elevations have other partnerships around the university. But Sanders saw a unique opportunity to help some of the players on his team and teach others about the benefits of having such an account set up early for children.

“By the time the baby is 18, the baby will be straight and have a head start on life,” Sanders said, emphasizing his guest’s speech explaining savings accounts for kids that can be used to pay for college. “That’s what we need. Imagine if you had 100 grand dumped on you when you were 18. … Let’s pave the way, let’s lay it out so the child has an advantage in life.”

Sanders and Colorado have been at the forefront of thinking outside of the box when it comes to NIL, and how to not only put their players in a position to succeed now but be set up for life after college football.

A financial literacy presentation is a great learning tool so these kids aren’t struggling down the road later in life with money.