Whether you like him or loathe him, nobody can debate the fact that the most intriguing narrative in college football right now is about Coach Prime and his University of Colorado program. And there really isn’t a close second.
Every weekend there are games and then there are storylines, and what Deion Sanders is doing goes beyond any single game to become the national storyline.
It’s no coincidence that one of the most bankable athletes of the 1990s has been the coach who is thriving in college football’s new era of the NCAA transfer portal and NIL deals. Coach Prime was a brand influencer before we knew what that meant 30 years ago.
As one of the greatest two-sport athletes ever, there was Deion Sanders and then there was the Prime Time persona that helped cash in on his on-field success — he won two Super Bowl titles and played in a World Series — becoming a national pitchman for Nike, American Express and Wheaties among others, plus hosting “Saturday Night Live,” appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated five times and even having his own video game.
Prime has high-stepped and hailed himself into being a national conversation topic for decades, so the glaring spotlight he’s working under now is nothing new.