What legacy will Deion Sanders leave in Colorado?

Beginning his tenure at historically Black Jackson State, where he revitalized a struggling program, Deion Sanders has left his mark on college football.

He did this through smoke and mirrors, capitalizing on a recent trend in college sports using the transfer portal and a reputation, image and likeness that allowed athletes to make their very own business deals.

Does this approach work? Will Sanders work? What legacy will Sanders leave in Boulder, Colorado?

On Sept. 7, Colorado was routed by Nebraska 28-10. Critics immediately predicted doom, saying the wheels were falling off and Sanders was a showman and nothing more. Local media criticized quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ 30-carat diamond watch, his Maybach deals and the National League. The Nebraska game was billed as a referendum on Sanders’s running of a program that relies heavily on transfers. After the loss to Nebraska, Colorado had lost seven of its last eight games under Sanders and had been outscored 265-181 by opponents.

But every week later, after a masterful performance by Shedeur Sanders and wide receiver/linebacker Travis Hunter, the narrative modified once more and would proceed to vary throughout the season. Sanders threw 4 touchdowns, Hunter caught two and in addition had an incredible game on defense, intercepting one pass. Colorado went on the road and beat Colorado State 28-9.

It was Colorado’s first win of the season, a far cry from the dramatic double-overtime victory at Folsom Field in 2023. It was a loss that reestablished Shedeur Sanders as a top NFL prospect. The game also established Hunter as a Heisman Trophy favorite as a dynamic two-way player.

We’ve tried to know, greater than another college coach, who Deion Sanders is. Is he an incredible coach? What makes him an incredible coach? Just wins and losses? Impact on players’ lives? Impact on the faculty community?

Big-time college football has not been kind or welcoming to African-American coaches. Even as these programs thrive on young black bodies, black coaches do not need equal access.

Finding and keeping that job was an uphill battle, so in her own way, Sanders carries a message of possibility.

Colorado has already won as many games under Sanders (five) as they did in 2021 and 2022 combined. For now, Sanders, often called Coach Prime, is constructing a status week by week, game by game — not a legacy yet, but greater than a blip.

The narrative will change again when Colorado opens its Big 12 schedule by hosting Baylor at Folsom Field. And the narrative will change the week after that, and the week after that, and the week after that, until Colorado either earns a bowl bid or doesn’t. And then there’ll be the wait for the postseason, when Sanders will announce whether he’ll stay in Colorado or take a job at a spot like Florida State, where he shined as a student but was omitted for a training job.

Whether Sanders stays or goes has been a subject in every aspect of the university, even amongst academics. That’s because he has had such great influence on all parts of the university.

Will Sanders need to proceed coaching after the departure of Hunter and his sons Shedeur and Shilo at the top of the season?

“I hate to say it, but I would say I’m 60/40 he’s not coming back,” said Jared Browsh, an assistant professor at Colorado and director of the Critical Sports Studies Program in the Department of Ethnic Studies. Browsh describes himself as a cultural historian who studies the political economy of sports and the connection between culture, money, power and identity in the United States and world wide.

There isn’t any denying that Sanders’ presence in Boulder will have a short-term impact.

“The economic impact is just mind-blowing,” Browsh said. “I couldn’t have imagined it. The first-year estimates are $300 million to $500 million for the regional economy. And then the donations to places on campus like the Center for African and African American Studies, but also the donations to support scholarships, the donations to support development, are significant, as are the sell-outs and people coming to Boulder to be part of that energy.”

He also noted the energy and enthusiasm Sanders continues to bring to the college. Browsh, a Philadelphia native, said a lot of his friends in his hometown follow Colorado football due to Sanders’ aura.

“Friends in Philadelphia who couldn’t point to Boulder on a map regularly post about him, whether it’s promotional videos, his press conferences, what his sons are up to,” Browsh said.

“Then you go from being average to being a regular on prime-time and being number one all-time.”

Browsh didn’t have much contact with Sanders, but he had plenty of Sanders players in his class. All this talk concerning the variety of transfers coming into this system can create the impression that players aren’t serious about getting an education. Browsh said that hasn’t been his experience.

“Especially since I usually teach in the summer, a lot of transfer students come in during that time to catch up on some of their credits,” Browsh said. “I’ve always been very fortunate and had great experiences with student-athletes from that standpoint. But the student-athletes he brought in were just really high-quality young men. And I can’t say enough good things about the classroom experience as a faculty member.”

None of which may be enough to maintain Sanders in Boulder if the season doesn’t pan out, especially given local criticism and scrutiny and even debate amongst faculty.

“Never in the history of the school has an African-American man been the face of the university who is himself,” Browsh said. “Not only am I here, but I am here as myself.” And I feel that authenticity has obviously hurt some people. I just think that, especially if things don’t change in terms of the wins and losses, and he continues to get more negative criticism, I truthfully wouldn’t blame him if he just said, ‘I’m going to maneuver on and find other opportunities.’”

“I think I’m leaning toward him not coming back because as a coach. All he really knows is his bond with his sons and his closeness with Travis. And I imagine if we end up 4-8 again or don’t make the bowl game, you’re going to start complaining.”

Which raises the query again, what legacy will Sanders leave, whether he leaves at the top of the season or after five seasons. How will he be remembered?

He’s great in (or quite for) the media, but is he great as a coach? That will be reflected in the team’s record and postseason performance. Making the College Football Playoff could be an enormous accomplishment, just making it to the bowl game could be an enormous accomplishment. The playoffs will expand to 12 teams this season. If Colorado gets an at-large bid, Sanders’ legacy is ready. Colorado’s last bowl game was a 55-23 loss to Texas in the 2020 Alamo Bowl.

While Colorado’s performance against Nebraska made it seem to be Colorado wasn’t close, the Buffaloes’ comeback performance against Colorado State provided hope, and that is exactly what Sanders has done in his two seasons at Colorado. Provide hope.

“I think the university needs him more than he needs the university,” Browsh said. “But there are still corners, including the press, that could convince him that he would be better off somewhere else.”

Colorado football under Sanders continues to be a rollercoaster ride of steep climbs and breathtaking falls. But this season, the stakes are a bit higher. Coach Prime isn’t just coaching for wins and losses, he’s coaching for his legacy.