Deion Sanders explains decision to give assistant coaches autonomy

The Colorado Buffaloes and head coach Deion Sanders are off to a hot start, picking up wins in their first two games this season. While a lot of credit for Colorado’s early success is given to Sanders as the leader of the program, his coaching staff has done an exceptional job getting the two paired week in and week out.

Unlike other head coaches across the country, the Buffaloes head man allows his assistants a little more autonomy than others. But it is no easy task to earn that level of trust from Sanders, much less a spot on his staff.

Tuesday, during his afternoon press conference, Sanders revealed what he looks for when adding members to his staff and why that allows his coaches to have autonomy over their respective units.

“Well, when we really look into them to hire them, we wanted to understand their characteristics. The way they got along with people, the way they connected with the youth and parents as well — the recruiting ability,” said Sanders.

“There are so many components based on hiring the coach nowadays, but all the guys that we have on this staff come from a relationship of relationship from a relationship, and they are great parents. And that’s something that matters to me. Because it’s hard for me to give you the opportunity to lead someone’s child when you’re not even leading yours. So that’s one of the components that I truly look for.”

The way individuals handle their personal family life is important to Sanders, especially since he is a family man in his own right. In his eyes, being able to handle a family signals to Sanders that you can handle the players with minimal hands-on guidance.

“These coaches are unbelievable, and I don’t try to tell em how to do what they do. I may be the navigational system every once in a while, but we brought em here because they’re really good at what they do. And I’m proud of them.”

Sanders’ trust and faith in his coaching staff has paid off in Colorado’s first two wins of the season. They opened 2023 with an upset victory over the TCU Horn Frogs on the road. Then, the Buffaloes proceeded to dominate their former in-conference rival, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, in their home opener in Week 2.

Thanks to the combined effort of the Colorado coaching staff and players, under the guidance of Sanders, the Buffaloes have already doubled their win total from the 2022 season.