'I'm coming:' For better or worse, Deion Sanders was unapologetically Deion Sanders in his introduction at Colorado

New Colorado head coach Deion Sanders only knows one way. 

Brazen. Bold. Brash. 

Sanders is a self-made millionaire, someone who took incredible raw talent and some special skills and turned himself into a historic professional two-sport star. 

And even all these years later, the Primetime brand has never burned brighter. 

After spending three seasons at Jackson State, Sanders, 55, left the HBCU program for his first Power 5 job, landing in Colorado for his introduction Sunday. 

And boy, was it a little awkward. 

Deion Sanders was unapologetically Deion Sanders in his arrival at CU. In every sense — from the bloated entourage, to the sunglasses inside, to the preacher pulpit speeches. 

After digesting all the “behind the scenes” footage in Boulder yesterday, there’s only two ways this goes for Colorado. Either Deion Sanders takes the Buffs out of the basement of the Pac-12 and turns them into a conference championship contender. 

Or, he’s going to bulldoze the program and flame out, leave an already-downtrodden team in ashes. 

“I’m coming,” was Deion’s go-to catchphrase Sunday, and he sure is, and it’s going to be a fascinating show watch play out.

A snippet of Sanders’ first-team meeting went viral yesterday afternoon after Primetime bluntly encouraged his new players to hit the transfer portal.

“We’ve got a few positions already taken care of because I’m bringing my luggage with me. And it’s Louis. I’m coming,” Sanders told his new players. 

“Yea, the quarterback is coming. Yea, about 10 more of them are coming. And they dogs. And they gone hunt. And they gone eat.”

Again, it was unapologetically Deion — pure theater. A Primetime concoction of candor and sanctimony.

All eyes on me. 

But the single clip doesn’t even do justice for how captivating (and at times cringeworthy) Sanders’ entire introduction was to his new team. 

It’s not necessary what was said — although some of what Sanders said was downright silly. 

But mostly, similar conversations are happening in team-meeting rooms all across the country right now. Plenty of coaches are looking to cleanse rosters.

But there aren’t cameras on those conversations. How Sanders delivered the message was the greater takeaway.  

With en entourage in tow, a film crew documenting every moment and music blasting, the first thing Deion Sanders said to his new team was, “That’s the way we walk in.” 

“I’m just learning that,” AD Rick George responded.

I’m coming, alright. 

Sanders then proceeded to tell his new players that he wasn’t at Colorado for “the bag.”

“I already got the bag,” he said without a hint of sarcasm after agreeing to a contract that will play him close to $30 million by CU. 

“It was an opportunity to do something that hasn’t been done in a long time. … Now lets get to business.”

And Sanders did just that, spending the next 10 minutes basically calling a room full of 50 some-odd football players he didn’t know all the same name: Bums. 

He told the team his son Shedeur Sanders would be the starting quarterback without so much as a single practice. He tapped the podium several times like he was Frank Underwood in House of Cards. He told the team he’d make them quit. 

“Those of you that we don’t run off, we’re going to try to make you quit,” he said. 

“That’s what the offseason gone look like. I want ones that don’t want to quit. That want to work. That want to win. A heckuva lot of work. I want to get you to that breaking point. So I know what I got. I don’t want to get in a game and find out I got Jane when all offseason I had Tarzan. I got to figure it out now.” 

It was fascinating theater. A riveting reality TV show. A slow-motion train wreck?

Sanders has proven he’s more than just a celebrity coach, but he’s also clearly in it for the show. The Deion Sanders infomercial never stops playing. He put on a performance Sunday. And he will again and again. 

He absolutely makes Colorado relevant in the short-team. There’s excitement in Boulder, and with good reason. With Sanders, anything feels possible. 

Good, or bad. 

Maybe it works. It did at Jackson State. He changed the culture, and turned the program into a SWAC powerhouse by loading the roster with talent — both prep and through the transfer portal. 

That’s clearly his plan at Colorado, too, which was 1-11 last season and lost its final four games by an average of 42 points. 

The Buffs have certainly given Sanders the runway to be Deion Sanders. The school handed him a record $5.5 million annual contract, a record $5 million in assistants salary pool and rescinded the university’s previous strict transfer requirements that helped position the roster in its current state in the first place. 

“It’s a sprit around this team, around this school that’s not traditional. In some kind of way you guys have accepted it,” Sanders said. 

“And begun to be complacent with it. All that’s going to stop. I still have unfinished business to do at Jackson State, because whatever I started we’re going to finish. We got to go win this championship. And we’re going to do that. But shortly thereafter I want you to know, I’m coming. 

“Not to compete. But to win. Not to show up. But show out. Not to be amongst the rest. But the best. I’m coming. I’m coming to restore. To replace. To reenergize. Some of y’all are salvageable. I ain’t going to lie, everybody that’s sitting in those seats, ain’t going to have a seat when we get back. But I’m coming.  … I’m coming to work. Not to play. I’m coming to kill it. Not to kick it. 

“I’m coming.”

He sure is. It’s the only way Deion Sanders knows how.

Other notable quotes from Deion Sanders’ speech Sunday

“When I come back, there ain’t going to be no hats in the meetings, no hoodies in no meetings, no phones … Ain’t going to be no earrings in the meetings. Everybody is going to look like everybody. I’m coming. It’s going to be a different place. A different feel. A different attitude. A different energy. A different work ethic. A different want. A different hunger. A different desire. A different need. A different capacity. I’m coming.” 

“By now you can feel what I’m saying. You can feel what I’m coming from you know I ain’t playing because I have the credentials to back it up. There is not going to be anymore mediocrity. Period. I’m coming.” 

“Some of y’all that really got it, that really want it and really deserve it and got to play beside a fool that don’t want it, that don’t deserve it, that don’t love it, I promise you it’s my job to get ride of you. I’m coming.” 

“I love everything about this institution. The academics. No crime. Beautiful city. Beautiful stadium. We’ve never had nothing of the sort to workout in. To train in. Our kids would go absolutely crazy to be in the situation you’re in. But you don’t respect it. I’m coming. You don’t want it. I’m coming.” 

“Usually when God sends me to a place, he sends me to a place to be a conduit of change. I’m coming.” 

“The uniforms may not even look like they do now. I’m coming. The cleats, I guarantee you is going to be something special. I’m coming. 

“I ain’t going to be no more of the mess that these wonderful fans, the student body, and some of your parents have put up with for probably two decades now. I’m coming. 

“When I get here, it’s going to be change. So I want y’all to get ready to go ahead and jump in that portal and do whatever you gone get, because the more of you that jump in the portal, the more room you make because we bringing kids that are smart, say it, SMART, tough, TOUGH, fast, FAST, disciplined, DISCIPLINED and with character. WITH CHARACTER. 

“Say it again: SMART, tough, TOUGH, fast, FAST, disciplined, DISCIPLINED and with character. WITH CHARACTER.”

“Is that you? … How bad do you really want it. … Obviously there was a problem right? I’m going to fix it. I’m coming. And not only am I going to show up. I’m going to show out.”