Marcus Freeman has 'utmost' respect for Deion Sanders after Colorado 3-0 start

The entire college football world knows about Deion Sanders and so does Marcus Freeman. The Notre Dame head coach has a big game of his own when the Fighting Irish host Ohio State.

While all eyes will be on that game Saturday night, they’ll get a warmup with Colorado–Oregon in Eugene in the afternoon. Heck, if Freeman didn’t have to coach today, he’d watch Sanders and Colorado too.

He joined College GameDay to share what he admired about Sanders’ first year with the Buffaloes.

“To be 3-0 with a team that only won one game last year is tremendous,” Freeman said. “And I have the utmost respect for him and really the excitement he’s bringing to college football. I’m a college football fan, so to be able to bring that excitement, last night last week on Saturday at 10:30 p.m., usually I’m in bed. I said, let me see a little bit of Colorado.”

Authenticity is rare in a sport that’s all about winning. But Sanders shows it no matter the time of day. 

That’s something Freeman noticed and appreciates in college football.

“You know, what I really love about what Coach Deion Sanders is doing is that he’s showing that you don’t have to be a certain way to lead,” Freeman said. “And that’s what I want our players to understand, my own children understand, is you can be who you are and be a leader. 

“Be authentic to who you are. You don’t have to be Marcus Freeman, Desmond Howard, Deion Sanders, be who you are, but be true to your heart. And that to me is an example he sets.”

Sanders is definitely his true self. That’s why he calls himself Prime Time, he’s always on. For what he’s done with the football program, Sanders wants to go further at Colorado.

Coach Prime said from the very beginning that this was the vision and expectation when he arrived in Boulder, showing little to no surprise about the new heights his team has reached. And when he was asked outside of himself what the reaction within their building has been to their new national spotlight, he pivoted to Colorado’s other athletic programs.

“I don’t know, I mean I’m kind of immune to that kind of stuff. I’m so focused and locked in on what we do from day to day, week to week,” Sanders said. “But I’m happy that our different athletics are benefitting.”