Deion Sanders: Colorado is not going to buy anybody

Deion Sanders won’t be pushed around by a recruit. On Tuesday, the Colorado head coach addressed how his recruiting philosophies have changed as he nears the end of his first season in Boulder.

“We want players that want us,” Sanders said. “Trying to convince somebody and doing that and being held hostage financially, we ain’t with that. We want players that want to be a Colorado Buffalo and want to come here for all the right reasons.

“We’re not going to buy anybody whatsoever. That’s how we approach it. We have tremendous needs. I’m pretty sure everybody in the country know what we need and how much we need it. It’s not a secret, and the recruits are responding.”

Sanders certainly hasn’t stayed silent about Colorado’s needs. The first-year head coach has repeatedly claimed the Buffaloes need more talent on its offensive line. The statistics back up Sanders’ assertions.

Colorado’s front five has allowed 54 sacks this season, the most in the country. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders is the walking proof of Colorado’s mistakes. Shedeur has battled pain all season. In Colorado’s 56-14 loss to Colorado State on Saturday, the junior QB left the game with an injury.

Despite Colorado’s downward spiral in the back half of the season, Deion Sanders insists there is no shortage of recruits interested in joining his program.

“Trust me, there’s not a day that goes by that kids aren’t blowing our recruiting staff up, or blowing Shedeur in his DMS, or Travis [Hunter], or so many key players on the team,” Deion Sanders said. “They’re there, they’re calling and we’re responding. Trust me.”

Deion Sanders on possibility of losing commitments

According to On3 Industry Rankings, Colorado has the No. 54 recruiting class in the 2024 cycle. The group includes two four-star prospects and and eight three-star recruits. Only two of those players are offensive linemen.

With Colorado’s mounting struggles, Deion Sanders weighed in on the possibility of recruits decommitting from his program.

“A kid ain’t even faithful to his girlfriend. You think he gonna be faithful to school? Come on, man,” Sanders said. “That’s an emotional thing. You know what I wish the NCAA would do? Honestly, if you committed to somewhere, you can’t go to no other visits. I wish that it would be like that if you committed.

“We’re not an ATM. That’s not going to happen here. If you come to Colorado to play football for me and the Colorado Buffaloes because you really want to play football and receive a wonderful education, all the business stuff is gonna be handled on the back end. But, we are not an ATM. You’re not coming here to get rich unless you really come here with a plan to go to the NFL.”