Deion Sanders stresses importance of recruiting in-state talent

One of the biggest questions as Deion Sanders took the head coach job at Colorado was how he’d handle recruiting. Boulder isn’t known as a “recruiting hotbed,” per se, but that isn’t deterring Deion Sanders from scouting the in-state talent.

Colorado didn’t have a five-star recruit and only produced one top-300 player during the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Still, Sanders said his staff’s goal is to keep in-state talent close to home.

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But it’s not just about increasing the numbers. He wants those players to be key contributors.

“We recruit in-state athletes,” Sanders said on National Signing Day. “We really do. We can’t force them to say yes — we want them to say yes. … That’s our goal, to be dominate in-state. If a kid can play, we want him. We want him at this institution playing football for us. But we want him to be able to be able to play. Not just recruit him just because he’s in state. He’s got to be able to contribute and be dominant.”

After taking over the program in December, Sanders helped Colorado bring in the No. 33-ranked recruiting class from the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. The crown jewel of the class is cornerback Cormani McClain — a five-star recruit who flipped his commitment from Miami to Colorado Jan. 19. McClain was the No. 13 player in the nation, according to the On3 Consensus.

Deion Sanders says attitude has changed most since arriving at Colorado

Deion Sanders said the attitude of the Colorado football program has changed since he arrived on campus.

The school hired the College and Pro Football Hall of Famer away from Jackson State, where he was nothing but successful on and off the field at the HBCU. On National Signing Day, he detailed what changed since he arrived on Colorado’s campus and what he saw from his team and other athletics.

“Our attitudes,” Sanders said of what’s changed. “Everyone in this building has a commitment to excellence, everyone in this building is on a team, everyone is building the blocks and you stand on your mark. They’re ready to go. Everyone has a different pep in their step about them, every one. They see it. They see that you know, it can really happen. Hope has been reestablished. I truly believe, I think, it’s been there but sometimes you just need that light, that switch of hope.

“Hope is in the house, hope is in the air, hope is in a city, hope is in the community hope is within you all. And you want to write good stuff and you don’t want to write bad stuff. You want to write good stuff.”