© Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images
When five-star superstar Travis Hunter shockingly flipped his commitment from Florida State to Jackson State on signing day, he talked about playing for the best to ever do it.
He was talking about playing for Deion Sanders, learning from him, soaking in everything Sanders could teach him about playing cornerback not only for college but for what looked like a predestined NFL future.
It was the biggest signing day flip in Rivals history and Sanders was the reason it happened.
MORE: Ten biggest QB decommitments of the last decade
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
When Sanders took the Jackson State job, fine, let’s see how he does – maybe it works out, maybe it’s a disaster, no one honestly knew. But then he got Hunter there, he got his son, Shedeur, to be the quarterback and Prime went 27-6.
That put him into focus for numerous Power Four jobs and Colorado was the one he took.
And now Sanders has not only turned around that program quickly – going 4-8 in his first season with a totally revamped roster (everyone remembers the Louis Vuitton comments) to 9-4 last season.
What should not be overlooked is that heading into 2025, Colorado might have the best coaching staff in the country. Not one of the best. The best. With the most NFL experience. With the biggest names who could do wonders on the recruiting trail.
Sanders has the bona fides. Super Bowl champ and seven-time Pro Bowler Warren Sapp is already on staff.
The addition of Marshall Faulk as running backs coach is not only massive for name recognition on the recruiting trail but he’s walked the walk. Faulk rushed for more than 12,000 yards and he had 100 rushing touchdowns in his career.
You don’t think some of the best running backs in the country (at least some of the smartest) are going to want to learn from him in Boulder?
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis is in a prime position to take over for Shedeur Sanders. Four-star receiver Adrian Wilson flipped from Arizona State. Four-star defensive end London Merritt flipped from Ohio State. Four-star OL Carde Smith flipped from USC like Lewis. Four-star receivers Quanell X Farrakhan Jr. and Quentin Gibson are two massive recruiting wins in Texas.
Sanders came to Boulder to coach a team that was hardly competitive in 2023 in then-coach Karl Dorrell’s last season.
In two short years, Sanders, who will continue to see rumors he’s leaving for the NFL as he did with the Dallas Cowboys opening this offseason, has pieced together an outstanding coaching staff that, oh, also includes NFL veteran Pat Shurmur and up-and-coming star defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, who just signed a lucrative new deal.
Colorado could get even more help on the recruiting trail when Sanders and Hunter go early in the first round of the NFL Draft in April.
There is a ton of momentum right now in Boulder, and some of the biggest marquee names the sport has ever known coaching there now.
What Sanders has put together there – roster and coaching staff and fan excitement – in just two years is nearly unfathomable.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH COLORADO FANS AT CUSPORTSREPORT.COM
