Deion Sanders Says He Has A ‘Kickstand’ Down At Colorado After NFL Speculation
After a shaky 2023 season with the Colorado Buffaloes, Deion Sanders has suddenly become one of the hottest names in college football coaching circles.
Sanders has led Colorado to an 8-2 record; 6-1 in the Big 12 Conference and the No. 16 spot in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. It's hard to argue with that success, in a season that started with few expectations.
Given his profile and the impact he's had on the Colorado program, there's been speculation that Sanders could leave Boulder for greener pastures after the season. That only increased after Michael Irvin posted on X openly hoping that the Cowboys would look Sanders' way after a brutal 2024.
But in his weekly press conference, Deion essentially shut down that speculation, saying he's "happy" where he is.
"I'm happy where I am, man," Sanders said on Tuesday. "I've got a kickstand down. You know what a kickstand is? ... That means I'm resting. I'm good, I'm happy, I'm excited. I'm enthusiastic about where I am. I love it here, truly do."
When talking about the impact freshmen have had on this year's roster, he said it illustrates what they want to build moving forward.
"It says a lot about what we plan on being and the stability that we're going to be here for a while," Sanders said. "We ain't going nowhere. We're about to get comfortable."
LUBBOCK, Texas - Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes walks across the field before the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium on November 9, 2024. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Does Deion Sanders In The NFL Make Sense?
Suddenly, Colorado is two wins away from a 10-2 season, with a road game at Kansas and home game against a woeful Oklahoma State coming up. From where they finished last year, it's inarguably one of the best coaching jobs in the country.
But Deion's greatest advantage is his ability to attract talent to Boulder with his name, reputation, enthusiasm and NFL connections. His X's and O's skills, while far from poor, aren't as strong to this point as his recruiting and relationship abilities. That doesn't matter as much in the NFL, where the draft, free agency and trades build a roster.
Sanders has owned the transfer portal, and benefited from having top level talent like Travis Hunter and his son Shedeur. In some ways, a "better" college job might be a more ideal fit.
Colorado has become a college football hot bed in the last two years, but sustaining a top-level pipeline could prove difficult. If there's an opening at a traditional blue blood program, Sanders may have already earned that opportunity.
Sanders' comments don't mean much either; how many times have fans heard coaches praise their school and surroundings, only to bolt weeks or months later?
For now though, he appears to be happy in Boulder. We'll see what happens if Dallas does come calling.