by Daniel Johnson
March 29, 2025
The contract extension permits Sanders to maintain constructing on his imaginative and prescient for this system.
The College of Colorado has secured Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders with a five-year, $54 million contract after he remodeled the soccer program from a struggling crew right into a playoff contender. Signed on March 28, the deal pays Sanders $10 million yearly, making him one of many high 10 highest-paid coaches within the nation.
In keeping with The Athletic, Sanders had two years remaining on his preliminary contract, and his transient flirtation with taking the beforehand open Dallas Cowboys job doubtless gave him some leverage within the discussions he and College of Colorado Athletic Director Rick George had been having since not less than the tail finish of 2024.
As George informed the outlet, the extension permits Sanders to maintain constructing on his imaginative and prescient for this system.
“Coach Prime has revolutionized faculty soccer and in doing so, has restored CU soccer to our rightful place as a nationwide energy,” George informed The Athletic.
He continued, “This extension not solely acknowledges Coach’s unimaginable accomplishments remodeling our program on and off the sphere, it retains him in Boulder to compete for convention and nationwide championships within the years to return.”
Though Sanders has courted controversy at instances, he has additionally raised huge sums of cash for the college. In 2023, he helped this system generate $31 million in ticket gross sales, up from $13 million the earlier season forward of his arrival on campus.
In keeping with CBS Sports activities, Sanders has additionally obtained help from his friends for his thought to rework spring soccer video games into an atmosphere paying homage to an NFL preseason recreation, which is a improvement that’s strikingly totally different from the preliminary reactions from a few of these friends concerning his strategy to rebuilding his roster largely by way of using the switch portal.
Whereas some coaches have bemoaned the switch portal and the emergence of NIL and universities’ respective NIL collectives, referring to recruiting as a bidding struggle, Sanders, as evidenced by his feedback in November to The Athletic and his use of it to construct the majority of his roster, sees it as one other evolution of faculty soccer.
“I by no means take a step again,” Sanders informed the outlet in mid-November. “I attempt to take a step up. I’m all the time with my head out the window: I’m attempting to see across the nook, not attempting to see straight forward. It’s normalcy to see what’s in entrance of them. I’m attempting to see across the nook.”
Though it stays to be seen if this system will replicate or surpass the extent it reached whereas Sanders’ two sons, Sheduer and Shilo, starred on reverse sides of the ball alongside Sanders’ “different son,” two-way star Travis Hunter, this system’s future at quarterback appears to be like vibrant as Kaidon Salter transferred in from Liberty and Colorado signed extremely regarded five-star quarterback prospect Julian “Juju” Lewis, who decommitted from USC to affix the Buffaloes.
In keeping with the Boulder Each day Digicam, Sanders is wanting ahead to not solely persevering with to construct this system, however the younger males who come into it, per his feedback in a press launch saying the extension.
“I’m excited for the chance to proceed constructing one thing particular right here at Colorado,” Sanders stated within the press launch. “We’ve simply scratched the floor of what this program may be. It’s not nearly soccer; it’s about growing younger males who’re able to tackle the world.”
He continued, concluding his feedback with a witty comment, “I’m dedicated to bringing greatness to this college, on and off the sphere. We’ve obtained work to do, and I wouldn’t wish to be wherever else however right here, making historical past with these unimaginable gamers and this passionate fan base. Lastly, anyone obtained not less than a five-bedroom dwelling with acreage on the market?”
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