Joel Klatt believes Deion Sanders should be up for National Coach of the Year

How Colorado has improved, both this season and in his tenure, and played this year under Deion Sanders is one of the more impressive efforts in all of college football. Joel Klatt thinks it’s worthy of that recognition too.

Klatt spoke about Coach Prime and the Buffaloes while on ‘The Herd’ on Wednesday. No matter what you may think of them, a 7-2 overall record and being in contention for the Big 12 Championship and the College Football Playoff is something that he knows should be acknowledged.

“They control their own destiny in the Big 12, which means they control their own destiny for the College Football Playoff – which is remarkable, guys,” stated Klatt. “I mean, I’m sorry. Like, I don’t care what you think about Deion. I don’t care what you think about their style or what they do on social media. The coaching job that Deion Sanders has done at Colorado is remarkable.”

That, in Klatt’s opinion, should come in Sanders’ work being up for National Coach of the Year this fall.

“He should be on a very short list this year for National Coach of the Year – period,” Klatt said.

Colorado has reached a point this season where an opinion like that on Sanders is difficult to argue against.

The Buffs, after a so-so start, have won six of seven, including five in the Big 12. They’ve won those six by an average margin of 17.5 points. The loss is also a respectable one by three points in one where they had a fourth-quarter lead against a Top-20 opponent in Kansas State.

That 5-1 record in league play is in second place in the standings of the Big 12. That has them three games away from playing in the conference championship. That game would then be all there’d be between them and a potential bye, let alone berth, in the playoff. That’s without even considering their possibility as an at-large, albeit doubtful, at No. 17 in the most recent rankings for the CFP.

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This is all after being 1-11 in 2022 before Sanders’ arrival and being 4-8 in his debut season last year.

Several coaches have done great work this season. Sanders’ has been some of the best, though, based on where Colorado is going into the final quarter of their campaign.