Gus Malzahn on Deion Sanders: 'I'm a big Deion fan'

As the Colorado Buffaloes move to the Big 12 in 2024, Deion Sanders received a ton of coverage at the conference’s media days earlier this week. However, another high-profile coach calls the conference home now, and that’s Gus Malzahn of the UCF Knights.

Malzahn and UCF came to the Big 12 last season, and their first year in the conference was a mixed bag. However, many are picking UCF to be a major player in the Big 12 in 2024, due to Malzahn’s ability and the addition of quarterback KJ Jefferson.

We won’t have to wait long to see who has the upper-hand between Sanders and Malzahn, as their programs will go head-to-head on Sept. 28. Speaking with the media, Malzahn elaborated on his relationship with Sanders, and the respect he has for the Colorado head coach.

“First of all, I’m a big Deion fan. Goes back to his playing days and all that. The exposure that he’s giving our conference I think is excellent. He does his own way,” Malzahn said, regarding the Colorado leader, via Big 12 Media Days. “But I think he brings a lot to our conference. I think he is doing a lot of great things.

“His son is one of the best quarterbacks if not the best quarterback. We play them early. That’ll be a huge game. There’s no doubt about that. But he does a great job.”

On the other side of the coin, it’s evident Sanders has a lot of love for Malzahn, as he shared a story from when Malzahn was recruiting his son Shedeur Sanders. Of course, the quarterback never ended up playing for Malzahn, but the way the UCF leader handled the entire situation was something Coach Prime appreciated.

“He’s awesome, man…he’s real, he’s honest, he keeps it 100,” Sanders said, regarding Malzahn. “When we went there on a recruiting trip, I’ve never seen a coach do this, he had another kid that was like a five-star quarterback and he said, ‘Alright, let’s see what y’all got.’

“He took Shedeur on the backfield with some receivers and that quarterback and they went at it, throw for throw. You know how it turned out, but who does that besides the coach that wants to know the truth?” 

Alas, it’ll all come to a head later in autumn between Gus Malzahn and Deion Sanders, but the UCF leader isn’t being scared off by his counterpart’s boisterous personality. The Knights and the Buffaloes will be a must-see game, and the respect will likely remain strong between the two coaches.