There’s a fine line between calling out your program and lighting a fire under it. And right now in Colorado, that line is gone. What started as a casual jab from Deion Sanders has spiraled into something more personal and public. The latest twist came when one of his trusted voices in the media circle jumped in and unloaded on Matt McChesney.
The situation escalated when Deion Sanders’ close media ally, Uncle Neely, used his platform to directly target the former Buffs lineman. Defending Coach Prime’s initial remarks, Nelly didn’t hold back his frustrations.
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“Matt. Coach Prime wasn’t talking about you,” Uncle Neely fired off. “Who on this staff is a chump? Where was all this noise when your team was 1-11?”
That was a direct hit to Matt McChesney’s comments on Deion Sanders’ public 247Sports roast. Because this is what he said.
“I don’t think their recruiting is going very well,” the former Buff said. “As an alum and as an ex-Buff, they take it really personally because of the passion I have for that place that they don’t. Don’t throw shade like I’m a chump, like some of the guys you hired.”
That was four days ago. And Matt McChesney was already over with it before the fresh attack came in. And this time, he made his true feelings known.
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“This is getting ridiculous and I’m kinda over it,” he said in response to Uncle Neely’s comments. “I’m pretty secure on who I am as a man. If you weren’t talking about us and that’s narrative you want to run with, then cool.”
It might sound like withdrawal, and it also sounds like Matt McChesney is drawing a line and daring the other side to cross it again. But this entire saga traces back to April 12, when Deion Sanders, in the middle of a press conference, decided to swipe at 247Sports, and it wasn’t even prompted. When a recruiting question came in, the Colorado head coach assumed the outlet and made that remark that would go on to stretch till now.
“Hold on, Jack, let me stop you for a minute,” he said. “247, they’re hiring everybody right now. Who else is with 247? I heard something. Somebody must have told me something about somebody else. I don’t know who it was. But I’m like, man, they must be desperate.”
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So how did Matt McChesney get into the picture? This man is a Boulder through and through. He was an early 2000s standout and a Derek Singleton Award winner. He was part of that 2004 team that played for a Big 12 title. And he wanted to come back to Colorado to coach the O-line. He tried twice but couldn’t land an interview with Deion Sanders. So now, he’s tied to an analyst role at 247Sports through his Back in Black podcast. Now you see where the tension came from, and he didn’t sugarcoat anything.
Matt McChesney challenges Deion Sanders’ culture
To understand the feud between Deion Sanders and Matt McChesney, you have to go back to when Colorado football actually set the standard. Under Bill McCartney, from 1982 to 1994, the Buffs were feared, with a national title in 1990 and three Big 8 championships. And inside that locker room hung a message that defined everything.
“The pride and tradition of the Colorado Buffaloes will not be entrusted to the timid or the weak.”
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And now, Matt McChesney is openly questioning whether Deion Sanders is living up to that identity.
“That at the press conference was both timid and weak,” he said, referencing the 247Sports jab. “I’m not going to sit here and say it wasn’t.”
That’s a former player invoking the program’s DNA to challenge its current leader. McChesney doubled down and talked about recruiting in-state, about players not knowing the fight song after wins, and about culture gaps that, to him, signal something deeper than wins and losses.
“That’s embarrassing,” he said. “That’s a bad look. But you guys don’t care because you don’t think it’s important, and I do think this back-and-forth b—-t is childish, bro. It doesn’t need to happen like this.”
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The feud is compelling because it isn’t just media vs. coach; it’s insider vs. insider and old Colorado vs. new Colorado. Now, with voices like Uncle Neely jumping in, this might not cool off soon.
