After Deion Sanders’ first win at Colorado, a shocking 45-42 upset against TCU, Sanders confronted the media. “Do you believe?” he demanded.
For those in the room, including myself, the answer was still lukewarm. This was still a surprising and unorthodox hire, a coach who had never worked at the FBS level. Hype seemed to supersede substance. Two years later, his questions proved valid.
In the 2025 CBS Sports Coach Rankings, Sanders was one of the biggest risers on the board. Sanders jumped 28 spots to No. 33, marking the second-biggest jump of any coach. All but one voter had him clearly in the top 40, a wild change in fortune after finishing 61st in 2024.
2025 college football coach rankings: Deion Sanders, Bill Belichick headline Power Four coaches ranked 68-26
Tom Fornelli
After a 4-8 debut, Sanders led the program to only its second nine-win season in the past 20 years as do-everything athlete Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy. Following the breakout season, Sanders was rewarded with a massive five-year, $54 million contract that will keep him in Boulder through 2029. It makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football, and the top paid in the Big 12 by a wide margin. That doesn’t even get into the marketing effect, which brought a tremendous amount of money and attention to Colorado football, including some of the highest ratings in the sport.
For any lingering doubters, they should believe now. Sanders came to Colorado and did everything he said he would do. The Deion era at Colorado is already a success. Now, the real fun…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/deion-sanders-colorado-tenure-is-already-a-success-but-his-next-era-can-push-him-even-higher/
Author : Shehan Jeyarajah
Publish date : 2025-05-21 17:09:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
