FRISCO, TX — Colorado football coach Deion Sanders did things his own way at Big 12 Conference football media days here on Tuesday, July 7, just like he often does.
He skipped interviews with reporters that all other Big 12 coaches attended. He referred to his new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion as “Brendan” several times. He also made an unusual admission. He said he screwed up at quarterback last year after his quarterback son Shedeur left for the NFL.
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“I made a big mistake, man,” Sanders told ESPN at the media days event. “You got to understand it. I’ve coached my son my whole entire life. So everything was like, compared to that. It’s hard to get.”
Sanders didn’t clarify what he meant by that exactly. He didn’t blame anybody else by name except himself. But other hints have come through about it since earlier this year, including when he told a class of students at Colorado in April that he learned the hard way just “how valuable that position really is.”
“That’s why they make the most money in the NFL and college NILs as well,” Deion Sanders said then. “But I never had that thought process until a season ago.”
Leadership issue last year with Deion Sanders’ team
Sanders gets it now. Colorado finished 3-9 last year after starting three different quarterbacks − Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, who started nine games, plus touted freshman Julian “JuJu” Lewis and previous backup quarterback Ryan Staub.
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Of that group, only Lewis remains and now looks to be the man in charge after starting two games last season at age 18. To help turn his team around, he and others aim to provide something that was missing last year.
MUST READ: Deion Sanders has Big 12 media days message: ‘I got that swagger back’
“The thing with last year was we just didn’t have the players that wanted to lead and were willing,” safety Ben Finneseth said.
Finneseth includes himself in that group and thinks that’s changed.
“The guys that stayed from this past season, it pissed us off the fact there was no leadership,’ Finneseth said. “And we were like, this is not gonna happen again.”
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Motivational ploy for Colorado QB Julian Lewis?
Another clue came in February when Colorado players held a “draft” to select two intrasquad teams to compete against each other in practices and workouts.
The first player selected wasn’t Lewis, the top returning quarterback.
It was true freshman quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne, who hasn’t played a snap yet for the Buffaloes.
Was this a ploy to motivate Lewis as a leader? Finneseth said at the time that the slight was “gonna piss him off.”
Asked about it Tuesday by USA TODAY Sports, Lewis didn’t want to talk about it.
“Next question,” he said. “…That’s just what they did. I didn’t pick.”
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Sanders expresses need for patience with freshman QB
Besides Sweetwyne, Utah transfer Isaac Wilson could push Lewis, too.
Sanders said Lewis has made “tremendous strides” and wants him to “just take control.” But he also expressed the need for patience with Lewis, given his age. He has four years of eligibility remaining.
“Let him come in, let him grow into that and just let him play the game and… allow Brendan (sic) (Marion) to do what he does,” Sanders said. “And (Marion) can put that sauce on it because he’s really good at that. But allow JuJu to grow into that role and don’t have that expectation that he has to be right here and right now. Just do your job.”
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Sanders starts his fourth season at Colorado on Sept. 3 at Georgia Tech.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colorado coach Deion Sanders owns up to ‘big mistake’ last year
