Speculation about Deion Sanders’ future in Boulder is at an all-time high as more and more NFL teams need a new head coach.
Just don’t bother Travis Hunter with these rumors, because Colorado’s two-way star and Heisman candidate knows that Coach Prime will be with the Buffaloes for at least a third season.
‘I have gained a lot of insight. He’s not going anywhere. He will be right where he is,” Hunter said Friday in Manhattan, where he is a heavy favorite to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night.
In his second season at the school, Sanders coached No. 20 Colorado to a 9-3 record this year and its first bowl bid since 2020. Hunter, Sanders and the Buffaloes will face No. 17 BYU (10-2) in the Alamo Come on December 28th.
Sanders’ success and popularity in Boulder have led to speculation that the standout and outspoken former NFL star would seek or accept a coaching job elsewhere this season. However, Sanders himself has rejected such talk.
Hunter followed Sanders from Jackson State, an HBCU that plays in the lower FCS level, to the Rocky Mountains and has already collected a dazzling array of individual accolades this week, including The Associated Press player of the year.
Deion Sanders is wrapping up his second season in Boulder and appears likely to return
Hunter is considered a favorite to win the Heisman after starring on offense and defense
The junior wide receiver and cornerback plans to enter the 2025 NFL draft and is projected to go in the top five — perhaps even No. 1 overall.
But he backed claims by Sanders and his son, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, that both will play in the Alamo Bowl rather than skip the game to prepare for the draft and avoid possible injuries.
“It’s definitely important because, you know, I started this thing with Coach Prime and Shedeur and most of the coaches on the coaching staff, so I want to finish it off right,” Hunter said.
“I didn’t give them a full season my freshman year (due to injury), so I’m going to go ahead and close this thing out on a good note. It’s going to be our last match together, so I’m going to go out there and dominate and show the loyalty I have for him.
‘I’m definitely looking forward to it. I’m just excited to get another shot at football before the offseason starts.”
Sanders, the former NFL and MLB star, has previously dismissed the idea that he would leave Boulder for the NFL.
“Other than Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, no place needs people to encourage people to be better than they are,” Sanders’ former rival and teammate Michael Irvin told the Buffaloes’ coach on FS1’s “Speak” last month .
“I know you’re focused every day, you’re a day-to-day man, but can you…”
“Don’t start that,” Sanders interrupted. “I like where I am.”
Sanders then stood up from his desk during the video call and walked to the window with his laptop to show the Fox Sports panel Colorado’s Folsom Field via satellite.
“I like where I am,” echoed Sanders, whose team earned a 34-27 victory over Texas Tech.
The discussion died down after that, but this likely won’t be the last Sanders hears about the Cowboys job.
Deion Sanders (left) didn’t want to hear any speculation about Dallas from Michael Irvin (right)
Dallas Cowboys teammates Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders prepare for the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 31, 1997 at Three Rivers Stadium
Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie, left, and Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jone
Dallas is currently 5-8 under coach Mike McCarthy after losing quarterback Dak Prescott to season-ending hamstring surgery.
“People want to be around him,” ex-Colts center and current Get Up co-host Jeff Saturday said of Sanders. ‘This man radiates success.
“He holds guys accountable,” Saturday continued. “That’s what Dallas needs.”
ESPN NFL Insider Kimberley Martin didn’t dismiss Sanders as a candidate in Dallas, but said the real problem is that the next Cowboys coach will still have to deal with Jones, who needs to change.
Jones has faced continued criticism this season for bringing back McCarthy, who has one playoff win since being hired in 2020, and his inability to build a defense. Dallas currently ranks 31st in points allowed and 26th in defensive yardage.
The 57-year-old Sanders may be best remembered for his five years in Atlanta, but it was in Dallas where he had perhaps his greatest success.
The former three-sport star from Florida State won his second Super Bowl with the Cowboys in 1995 after coming over from the world champion San Francisco 49ers and remained one of the best cornerbacks in the league well into his 30s.