Recently, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders participated in a candid conversation with Michael Irvin and stated his recruiting is not about race or background. Rather, it is inherently personal, centered on the mentality of players. He wants players with “that heart” above everything else.
Sanders started out by trying to put college football in context. He brought up the racial make-up of a lot of teams, but opined that it does not matter for him, as long as the players have the right kind of mindset to fit in his team.
“We came from, you know, the majority of most teams in college football are probably 70 percent African American,” Coach Prime said. “That’s us. We came from that. And then you could put us in a room with anybody. I can relate to Wall Street. I can relate to the hood.” (4:18)
“I can relate to anybody you put me in front of. And you can too. So it’s not the ethnicity. It’s that thing right there (Heart). Right. The sugar for — that’s it. That’s who I’m talking to. I’m talking to that. I want to make sure you got that, because if you ain’t got that, why are we having a conversation? The Bible says that the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,” he further elaborated.
Coach Prime’s Focus on Mentality Behind Colorado Recruiting
Coach Prime’s final point regarding his players was the most revealing part of his conversation with Michael Irvin. He said:
“And when I’m sitting up there in those chairs, and I got my coordinator right here and I got my position coach right here, and I’m talking to those kids and the parents, they think they’re interviewing me. No, I’m interviewing you,” Coach Prime said during his conversation with Irvin.
Deion Sanders’ recruitment philosophy is based on a no-nonsense model that targets athletes who are truly interested in competing and who meet his expectations for discipline, work ethic, and love of the game.
“Smart, tough, fast, disciplined with character. But not only that, that you love the game. You’ve got an affinity and passion for the game,” he said as per ESPN in an old interview.
Coach Prime’s Colorado Buffaloes will begin their 2025 campaign on Aug. 29 against Georgia Tech. After recovering from cancerous tumor and a renewed energy, he will look to help the Buffaloes register better performances this year.
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