Strike 3: Nick Saban, on Dec. 21, 2006: “I guess I have to say it. I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.” Jan. 7, 2007, Alabama announces Nick Saban as their new head football coach.
Texas A&M baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle on June 24, 2024 (right after losing the championship game of the College World Series): “I took the Texas A&M job to never take another job again.”
June 25th, 2024: The University of Texas announces they’ve hired Jim Schlossnagle as their new head baseball coach.
University of Colorado football coach Deion Sanders on June 25: “I plan on being here (at CU) and being dominant.”
Don’t believe him, either. Because if by chance Deion is “dominant,” he will be out the door faster than you can say “AFLAC!”
Things change. Coaches don’t tell the truth. It happens a lot.
So here’s the current situation for University of Colorado football fans: Sanders has no concrete plans beyond this season when his two sons depart for the NFL. The clues/hints are everywhere: Lack of emphasis on high school recruiting, a revolving door of assistant coaches, the blatant “Daddy Ball” atmosphere and drama that’s surrounding his life and his program, along with his ties to the south and to Jerry Jones in Dallas.
Here’s his dilemma, however. In order to get another (better?) job offer, Deion needs to win more than four or five games this coming season. And that’s right about where the preseason prognosticators have the Buffs finishing. Five wins. Is another school (or perhaps the NFL team in Big D?) going to hire a coach with two years of big time experience and a losing record?
So in reality, it’s either one or the other for Sanders: “Being here” means you weren’t “dominant.” “Dominant” means you won’t be here long.
So what do true silver and gold CU fans (not the Deion cultists) hope for? Sanders has elevated the program’s profile, but if the wins don’t follow, is it worth it? And if he wins and leaves, who can come in and pick things up without a drop off in attention, and maybe win more games?
You can bet that CU athletic director Rick George is getting his list together.
This is the fascinating sub plot that surrounds the upcoming season in Boulder. What will happen to Deion next? Will his quarterback son Sheduer become a bonafide Heisman candidate in 2024, or a future Louis Vuitton runway model, or perhaps a future rap star for a captive audience near you? Will his other son Shilo win the school’s third Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s most outstanding defensive back, or will he win his bankruptcy lawsuit, which might be a tougher task than covering Big 12 wide receivers?
Will Deion ditch the sunglasses, and he and Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell come out of their respective corners in a defensive posture when they meet at midfield at Canvas Stadium in September?
With Sanders, the off-the-field stuff has always provided as much, or perhaps more, entertainment value as what happens on the gridiron. Expect nothing less starting in August.
