Explaining why Deion Sanders as Colorado's team-building architect is flawed

During the latest episode of Andy Staples On3, Phillip Dukes joined the show to discuss various topics, including Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes.

There’s many ways to build a college football team, but Staples and Dukes agree that Sanders’ role as the architect, utilizing the transfer portal heavily instead of building up his own players, certainly has a shelf life, but that doesn’t mean Sanders is anywhere near the hot seat.

“I get it. Every coach who takes over a team has to figure that out, but the question is, is Deion trying to win? Because Deion is not going to get fired,” Staples said. “Like, he’s not on the — Billy Napier, Sam Pittman. Those are guys who are going to get fired if they don’t succeed. Deion’s not getting fired. Deion could go 1-10, 1-11. He won’t get fired. So he can build it however he wants to, he’s choosing to do it this way. … It’s the architect, for sure. I’ve watched enough buildings get built. I know what happens when you build them one way, I know what happens when you build them another way.

“So if this architect thinks he knows something that every other architect who ever existed doesn’t know, congratulations. But if he’s wrong.”

As for Dukes, he used a cooking analogy to perfectly explain the situation, and give his opinion on Sanders’ strategy as a coach.

“That’s the very point that I was making,” Dukes added. “When you look at guys — Andy Staples, you have to be one of the most knowledgeable guys in the entire sport. Not just in the media, I’m talking about the entire sport. The respect that you get from people is incredible. Now, you’ve seen, so many times, that you know, that if this doesn’t change, in your opinion, based on the facts that you know, it’s not going to end well. So you’re one of the guys, that’s a cautionary guy, because Andy, I heard your takes.

“You were a Deion, you were a Colorado, not supporter — but now, as you start to look at what the architect is doing, you’re like, ‘Hey, I don’t know.’ It kind of reminds me, and this is how, to break it down, it kind of reminds me of, in my twenties, I may have been dating a female, and I may have said, who tried to cook for me, and I’m like, ‘Nah, nah, nah. That’s not how my momma do it.’ But I don’t know how her dish is going to turn out. But because my momma didn’t do it that way, and my grandma didn’t do it that way, I think that she automatically frying chicken the wrong way. Or making pasta, or spaghetti, or whatever it is.”

Alas, it remains to be seen if Deion Sanders is successful with Colorado in 2024, but there’s certainly a lot riding on his strategy for building a team this coming season.