In what was likely the most anticipated press conference of any from Big 12 Media Days, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders — sporting his usual sunglasses as well as a black blazer over a white sweatshirt — did not waste any time expressing his praise for conference commissioner Brett Yormark.
Deion Sanders Profusely Praised Brett Yormark at Big 12 Media Days
“This is unbelievable. Brett, you did the doggone thing. I think we have the best commissioner in football,” Sanders said during his opening remarks on Wednesday at Allegiant Stadium. “He’s unbelievable. He’s absolutely a legend. He’s a shot caller. He’s a boss. And I love him.”
Yormark kicked off the two-day event in Las Vegas on Tuesday, discussing, amongst many topics, the depth of the league and his focus on the future of the Big 12.
The Buffaloes will be one of four newcomers joining the now-16-team conference for the 2024 college football season, along with Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah.
While Yormark is the second conference commissioner Sanders has worked with in as many seasons since becoming an FBS head coach with Colorado, it should be noted that the first — George Kliavkoff — did not have a chance to receive praise from Coach Prime in 2023.
Sanders was not at last year’s Pac-12 Media Days because he had surgery on his left foot to treat blood clots.
It should also be noted that the Colorado head coach reportedly has 2.5 million reasons to praise Brett Yormark and the Big 12 Conference. According to USA TODAY Sports, that was the amount of money the University of Colorado was offered as a signing bonus from the Big 12 Conference last year as an added enticement to get the Buffaloes to leave the Pac-12.
“I’m not going to discuss my negotiating tactics. But listen, we were thrilled that Colorado was the first mover,” Yormark said on Tuesday. “Ultimately, one got us four, you know, when you think about it. Whatever we did in those negotiations seemed to work out pretty well for us.”
By the sound of things over the past two days, it certainly seems that Coach Prime and his commissioner are becoming fast friends.