The Deion Sanders experiment in Boulder got off to a shaky 4-8 start last year, and the team did not appear to be in good shape Wednesday.
The University of Colorado head coach and his quarterback son, Shadeur Sanders, both displayed an air of arrogance in separate social media posts that should have everyone questioning what is going on inside the program.
The posts were both made after “Coach Prime” was criticized for how he ran off players who had been on scholarship when he took over the team.
Deion Sanders did not believe most of the holdovers were good enough to play for him when he took over the program, and he encouraged them to head for the exits.
The situation was unprecedented, and drew a lot of eyes to the team.
Former Buffaloes safety Xavier Smith was among dozens of young men who were essentially kicked out of Boulder when Sanders attempted to rebuild the entire program from the ground up using the transfer portal.
Smith, who transferred to Austin Peay, told The Athletic on Monday that the coach could have handled things with a little more grace.
Deion Sanders recommended Xavier Smith hit the transfer portal like many others.
He didn’t.
During spring practices, Smith felt more like an extra in the background of the reality show.
Frustration set in before he eventually left for Austin Peay.https://t.co/Gcjcs8X1Yw pic.twitter.com/9eZKBHnkoK
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 29, 2024
“He was destroying guys’ confidence and belief in themselves,” Smith said of the way Sanders treated those he wanted to leave the school. “The way he did it, it could’ve been done with a little more compassion.”
Smith recalled that Sanders told him to enter the portal, as he would not see the field at Colorado again.
Kudos to the coach for being blunt with a player who was part of a 2022 team that went 1-11.
But when the Smith’s comments went viral on X Tuesday, Deion and Shadeur Sanders both showed a lack of class — which is a pattern now for both.
Shadeur Sanders shared a post of Smith’s comments and called him mediocre, or “mid.”
“[I don’t] even remember him tbh,” the Colorado quarterback said. “Bro had to be very mid at best.”
Ion even remember him tbh. Bro had to be very mid at best. https://t.co/qwK48Ys0Et
— Shedeur Sanders (@ShedeurSanders) April 30, 2024
Deion Sanders then directed an insult at a football fan who accurately pointed out his team’s abysmal 2023 record – which ended with a singular win in the final nine games:
He will be a top 5 pick. Where yo son going ? Lololol I got time today. Lololol https://t.co/tGS6dfm7iy
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 1, 2024
The coach also responded to fans who were insulting Austin Peay defensive back Jaheim Ward for recording only eight solo tackles during the 2023 season.
Sanders, who has declared himself a devout Christian, used the name of the Lord rather casually when he appeared to endorse the insults.
He wrote, “Lawd Jesus.”
Lawd Jesus https://t.co/WVIBSUE14X
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 1, 2024
Deion Sanders was skewered for his lack of class:
I’m a fan of you but bad look. You know dude is just a kid right?
— J (@juhowe19) May 1, 2024
I feel bad for Colorado players and Colorado fans. Imagine having to defend this https://t.co/pHLTZRJdjO
— Cason Douglas (@cason_douglas) May 1, 2024
What is the benefit of a tweet like this? https://t.co/H5QHoBpDdw
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) May 1, 2024
Colorado is turning into a comedy show. This isn’t it.
— Jon (@CSCastJ) May 1, 2024
Coach what are we doing here
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) May 1, 2024
“I got time today”
Certainly not going on any recruiting trips right now https://t.co/MlWnsKbBOA pic.twitter.com/cqwOMHTqtN— Blake (@_BlakeTucker) May 1, 2024
Lawd Jesus https://t.co/WVIBSUE14X
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) May 1, 2024
Colorado could have won more games last season, but that wasn’t the way the ball bounced. The upcoming season will tell us a lot more about whether throwing together a roster of transfers can help a team compete.
But no matter how things shake out on the field next season as the Buffaloes enter the Big 12, Colorado lost on social media this week.
As one social media poster remarked, “Could you ever imagine Kirby, Harbaugh, Lanning, Saban, etc ever making a post like this?”
There is no way a serious HC acts like this. 4-8 makes complete sense now.
Could you ever imagine Kirby, Harbaugh, Lanning, Saban, etc ever making a post like this?
— BongoBlue2 (@Blue2Bongo) May 1, 2024
Wednesday’s spectacle was tacky and unbecoming for a football coach at any level of the game.
