Paul Finebaum predicts Deion Sanders will become college football's highest-paid coach

Deion Sanders as the highest paid college football head coach? That’s the prediction from ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.

Yes, Sanders had three successful years at the FCS level at Jackson State, yes he coached one awesome game at Colorado. But Finebaum is all in on the future of Coach Prime in college football.

Not only will Sanders be the highest paid at some point, he’ll be at some other school, one which Finebaum declined to mention.

“Things change and what Deion is doing right now is where college football is at,” Finebaum said on First Take to Stephen A. Smith and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo. “He’s revolutionizing the sport that’s already going through all these different machinations and you just have to accept it. You can’t hate everything that’s new and exciting. 

“And what Deion really has done, I think this is what I’ve said to Chris Russo more than anything, is that he has taken over the sport in one game. Now that was a nine month lead up … But in that one afternoon in Texas, he shut all the naysayers up for all those who said this was a terrible hire.” 

Deion Sanders to get the bag?

Then Finebaum threw down the hammer and predicted Deion Sanders’ future as a coach: money.

“What he’s about to do is become the highest paid coach in the game,” Finebaum said. “And when he leaves Colorado at some point, he will. He’s going to be in demand, all the schools that snubbed their nose at him a couple of years ago and a couple of months ago will not anymore. And what’s really the most important part is players want to play for him.” 

Players want to play for Sanders, that much is obvious. But when you add winning to that type of swagger, it only entices the best to come play under Coach Prime even more.

“Chris the other day, Travis Etienne, who was a great star at Clemson, now with Jacksonville, the running back tweeted he said his brother plays for Florida, which is a program in a lot of trouble, he said ‘little bro might need to go play for Prime,’” Finebaum said. “Do you realize how that resonates? And how many young players see that from an NFL star and say, ‘you know what I think I want to hit out to Boulder too?’”

Could the Deion Sanders be the highest paid coach ever and remain at Colorado? Sure, why rule it out?
AD Rick George jumped into the deep end of the pool to hire Sanders when other Power Five schools didn’t want to. Who’s to say he wouldn’t go all in?

Better start collecting funds since the demand for Sanders could go through the roof. First things first though, Sanders and Colorado have Game 2 this weekend against Nebraska.