Deion Sanders reveals where he's grown the most since taking over at Colorado
The 2023 campaign was a learning experience for Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. In a conversation with On3’s Phillip Dukes, Sanders revealed his biggest takeaway from last season.
“Patience, man. I’m not a patient man in many things in life,” Sanders said. “Just my patience of understanding that, ‘OK, he may not be there right now. He’s in the microwave. I got to put him on ten. I gotta put him on four. I gotta put him on 30 seconds.’ It’s different. You got to assess and understand. I look at it differently now. And be patient enough to let that happen, or to see that for what it is.”
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It took patience for Sanders to stick by his team’s side during the lows of last season, especially after the Buffaloes’ promising start. In Colorado’s season-opener, it defeated 2022 national runner-up TCU in a 45-42 shootout.
Only one week later, Colorado dominated new-look Nebraska 36-14. In the triumph, Shedeur Sanders lit up the scoreboard, tallying 393 passing yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions.
In Week 3, Colorado escaped a grueling in-state showdown against Colorado State in double overtime. While the Buffaloes pulled out the win, they showed signs of weakness and suffered losses. Specifically, two-way star Travis Hunter was forced to leave the game after absorbing a late and suffering a lacerated liver.
Hunter missed three weeks due to the injury and Colorado spiraled. The team ultimately went 1-8 in the remainder of the regular season and failed to reach a bowl game. Sanders believes Colorado’s disappointing back half of the season was part of a greater plan.
“What God told me the other day was profound,” Sanders said. “He said you’re either giving someone an opportunity or a chance. Now, if I give you an opportunity, that means I feel as though you are ready. I feel as though you got something inside of you that’s gonna take advantage of that opportunity. And that opportunity is on you once I give it to you.
“Now if I give you a chance, I really don’t trust you. I really don’t believe in you. And if you take this chance and mess it up, that’s back on you because I shouldn’t have done it anyway. But, I wanted to give it to you because I thought you deserved it. My chances have gotten in trouble, not my opportunities.”
Deion Sanders and Co. will look to seize their opportunity when they square off against North Dakota State on Aug. 29.