Colorado Head Coach Deion Sanders Reveals How He Would Have Fared in Age of NIL

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders would have cashed in during his playing days had NIL existed at the time.

Jul 13, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Colorado Buffalos head coach and former MLB and NFL player Deion Sanders (21) of the National League is interviewed during the 2024 All Star Celebrity Softball Game at Globe Life Field. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Nowadays, Deion Sanders is known as the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes football team. There are a lot of younger sports fans who don’t know he was one of the greatest athletes to ever step foot on this Earth.

Sanders became a national sensation, starring as a two-sport athlete in baseball and football. Making the professional ranks in one sport is hard enough; he did it in both, playing in the MLB with the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants and NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens.

As a baseball player, Sanders hit .263 in his career with 39 home runs, 168 RBI and 186 stolen bases. In football, he was one of the best to ever do it.

With eight Pro Bowls and two Super Bowl victories, he was a highly decorated cornerback. He is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

During his time at Florida State, Sanders was a two-time All-American. As one of the most recognizable stars, he would have assuredly been a hit in today’s current landscape with NIL deals and social media.

During an appearance on All the Smoke with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Sanders spoke about how much he would have thrived had NIL deals been a thing when he was playing.

NIL Prime would have been a PROBLEM 🤣

Deion Sanders on ALL THE SMOKE: https://t.co/l0ZlY7uWLY pic.twitter.com/kGpIVFvJfH

— All the Smoke Productions (@allthesmokeprod) August 22, 2024

“I don’t even know who to even compare me to what I would be like,” Sanders said. “Jesus. I would need help because of all the access, the internet. Trouble. I would really need Jesus to come down, himself. … ‘Slow down.'”

His son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, has the highest valuation of any college athlete at $4.7 million. His teammate, hybrid wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, is No. 4 with a valuation of $2.7 million.

Deion would have been flooded with offers as well. As dynamic of an athlete, as there was in the world, every company would have been looking to partner with him.

“Is he saved?” Sanders said of his 19-year-old self. “Because if he ain’t have the Lord with him … it’s gonna be trouble.”

Even as head coach, Sanders is still finding ways to market himself. Coach Prime has a deal with Blenders Eyewear, who he helped collaborate recently with Colorado superfan Peggy Coppom on a first-of-its-kind NIL deal.

Recently, he also inked a deal with the school and Aflac for a headset sponsorship. Even with his playing days well behind him, Sanders is cleaning up on his name, image and likeness.