Deion Sanders has brought an unprecedented amount of attention to the University of Colorado since he took over at the head coach of the football team, although his arrival has also been polarizing.
However, Sanders’ commitment to his five children has not changed. Shortly after Coach Prime’s eldest child, Deiondra Sanders, got caught up in a love triangle Sanders reaffirmed his position as her biggest supporter.
“I Love u baby and I’m glad u said u ain’t having a baby to keep a man. You’ve always had a MAN in your life that u call DADDY & ain’t gon ever ever let u DOWN especially when I’m UP,” the Colorado football coach wrote in the comments section on his daughter’s March 8 Instagram post.
On May 1, Deion Sanders jumped on social media to defend his Colorado quarterback son Shedeur Sanders, who faced backlash after calling out a former teammate.
“Folks don’t hate u because they really don’t know u,” Coach Prime wrote on X, in what appeared to be a veiled shot at Shedeur’s critics.
“They admire u in a Negative way. They realize they can’t be u, think like u, talk like u or walk in your shoes. That Bothers them. Always smile when u see them because that makes them admire u so much more in that negative way.”
Sanders also responded directly to someone who brought up Colorado’s record from last season.
“Tell yo son stop act like he the coldest out here then put up a 4-8 season,” a person wrote. Sanders pushed back by doubling down on his belief that Shedeur will be one of the top prospects entering the 2025 NFL draft.
“He will be a top 5 pick. Where yo son going ? Lololol I got time today. Lololol” Sanders rebutted.
Sanders has consistently express his confidence that Shedeur will be one of the first quarterbacks taken whenever he enters the draft.
“The rest of college football watching Shedeur and Deion arguing with transfers instead of worrying about not going 4-8 again,” one person wrote on X.
“Prime gonna be stunned when he still available in the 3rd round lol,” another person wrote. Meanwhile, a different X user posted a meme of someone flipping burgers and suggested that Shedeur would be having a career in fast food if his father was not a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Sheduer ended his two-year career at Jackson State with just under 7,000 passing yards. He was one of the higher-rated college quarterbacks last season, finished the year with 3,230 passing yards and 27 touchdowns against three interceptions.
The fallout stems from former Buffaloes player Xavier Smith who spoke out against Sanders. Smith, who transferred to Austin Peay last season, suggested that Coach Prime basically forced him out of the Colorado program. Smith told The Athletic that Sanders encouraged him to “hit the portal” because if he didn’t he would risk wasting “a year thinking [he] could earn a spot” on Colorado’s roster.
“He was destroying guys’ confidence and belief in themselves,” Smith said told the outlet in a story published on April 29. “The way he did it, it could’ve been done with a little more compassion.”
Smith also accused Sanders of not taking the time to figure out who he was as a player and a person.
“I was actually getting mad, like tears coming to my eyes. Because, bro, you never even tried to get to know me,” Smith added. The defensive back is now at Texas El Paso after following his Austin Peay coach there when UTEP hired Scotty Walden to take over for 2024.
Shedeur then jumped into the chat and defended his father in the process. “Ion even remember him tbh. Bro had to be very mid at best,” the Colorado quarterback wrote on X.
After leading the Jackson State football team for two full seasons, Sanders made the move to Colorado ahead of the 2023 season. He took over a program that could only muster one win the previous year. He immediately made his intentions about turning over the program clear, but his approach has ruffled some feathers — including those of some players who decided to transfer to other schools.
Former Colorado football player Cormani McClain was also among the notable players who intends to play for another school in 2024. But shortly after he made the decision to enter the transfer, he publicly expressed his disdain for how he was treated during his time at Colorado and suggested that certain individuals involved with the football program were not focused on developing the players.
“Some people just gotta take a step back from things sometimes, certain people, you know,” McClain said in a video posted to his YouTube channel on April 21. “I feel like I just don’t want to play for clicks. I actually want to be involved with a great leading program that’s going to develop players.”
