Deion Sanders’s tenure at Colorado has been unconventional. For instance, among the many subplots to his short time in Boulder, the most serious has been his health. It’s why he gave an exclusive interview to Sports Illustrated through a partnership with California Almonds because “I want them to catch me looking good from every angle.” It’s not every day a trade group for a tree nut calls a reporter to set up an interview, but it’s not every day someone with the notoriety of Sanders coaches college football.
The new Buffs head man has had 12 surgeries over the past two years to fix a blood clot issue that forced him to miss three games as the coach at Jackson State and caused the amputation of two toes—he quips that he stays grounded by being “eight toes” down. He plans to be out of his protective boot by the end of the weekend and put on a regular sneaker and walk comfortably. His goal is to lead Colorado out of the tunnel next Saturday with “a nice, cool, fly jog.”
But once Colorado’s on the field, beginning with its season opener against last year’s CFP runner-up TCU, the big question is what exactly it’s going to look like. Sanders says the normal things that college coaches do, that his team will be fast and physical with playmakers on both sides of the ball, but he holds close to the vest any specifics on schematics when asked. This is a higher level than the FCS ranks; his Tigers largely dominated for the past two seasons, and it will be a trial by fire in a deeply competitive Pac-12 right before the Buffs head to the Big 12. But he bristles at the notion that Jackson State should be regarded as a proving ground for him as a coach. He’d rather consider all his experiences, including his time as a youth and high school football coach as well as being a player.
