The Unparalleled Influence of Deion Sanders

A cluster of fans stood outside Gate 14 at Folsom Field, beseeching the man in all-white coveralls to acknowledge them. The handful of admirers reaching their hands and phones through the black metal bars on this drizzly early August afternoon soon doubled then tripled in size. But Deion Sanders was in the throes of another moment cultivated for the social media universe.

On his 57th birthday, Colorado’s rhapsodic football coach was, as usual, flanked by in-house cameras. They rolled on as he was given a personalized black and gold 2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with a dozen customized “Prime” logos placed all over.

It came from Truck Ranch, the dealership that also has provided vehicles to Sanders’ sons, quarterback Shedeur and safety Shilo, as part of the players’ Name, Image and Likeness deal with the company. As Sanders checked out his present, fans shouted “Happy birthday” and inquired about potential autographs and selfies.

The world knows Sanders as a marketing mogul who can sell anything and a superstar who dares detractors to continue to doubt him. But in Year 2 at Colorado, a celebrity persona both revered and reviled won’t be enough. Being the bombastic disruptor of college football’s status quo will resonate less in 2024 if the Buffaloes don’t produce tangible results. Coming off a 4-8 inaugural campaign, the Sanders era needs sizable steps forward to prove his roster-building approach — and his overall blueprint — works.

“We’re not really too concerned about what happened last year, because it is what it is,” Shedeur said. “You can’t change the past.”

No, but the past exists as an eternal reminder of what came before — and last season that was eight losses in nine games. For Sanders, this promises to be his most demanding season as a head coach. It’s likely his last with Shedeur and Shilo (both seniors) and a return to the Big 12 brings a challenging slate.

And while the Buffaloes bolstered their roster once more through the transfer portal, questions remain about whether Sanders’ aura-based approach can field a team that can contend beyond September.

True to form, he’s not conceding an inch. But his way is under the spotlight as skepticism compounded after last season’s defiant 3-0 start collapsed.

“If you want to be blessed,” Sanders told reporters earlier on his birthday, “someone is going to try and stress you.”