$45M worth Deion Sanders’ unorthodox recruiting approach draws top talent to Colorado without leaving Boulder

While coaches all around the country have been going all out to recruit talent, Deion Sanders has taken an unorthodox approach. According to USA Today, he hasn't left the Colorado campus to recruit any players during his 14-month stint so far. Still, he got the services of top talent during this period, including numerous offensive linemen that have come in.

Since taking over the Colorado Buffaloes in December 2022, the $45 million net worth (via Celebrity Net Worth) of Coach Prime has practically built the roster from scratch.

While many players came into the program through the transfer portal, the Buffs recruited star prospects like Jordan Seaton to strengthen the team. But none of them required a home visit from the head coach they would be playing for.

“Coach Prime did not conduct any off-campus recruiting visits," the school confirmed to USA Today.

Boulder, CO, September 30: Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes walks off the field at halftime of a game against the USC Trojans at Folsom Field on September 30, 2023, in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) )

Home visits by coaches are a sort of tradition in college football to recruit players. Even legendary head coaches like the seven-time national champion Nick Saban have taken recruitment trips to convince players and their parents to commit.

However, the Deion Sanders effect has overshadowed the tradition and prospects are signing up for Colorado without any of it.

The months of December and January are the two months in the NCAA recruiting calendar where coaches generally make these home visits.

According to the available data, Jim Harbaugh made as many as 145 such visits in the period from December 1, 2022, until he won the national title with the Michigan Wolverines and left for the NFL.

Deion Sanders and his struggles to get fame

While today Deion Sanders’ name seems to be enough to attract big money and names to his cause, that wasn't always the case.

During a conversation with Don Yaeger on the "Corporate Competitor Podcast," he said that people doubted him because he was ‘small or didn't come from the right side of town.’ But he never doubted himself.

"When people looked at me and said, I was too small. I didn't come from the right side of town, or I wasn't going to get the opportunity. But I never doubted me," Sanders said.

He became a two-sport legend, playing in both the MLB and the NFL. After finishing his playing career, he went into coaching, and after a good tenure at Jackson State, he moved to Colorado. Today, the Coach Prime brand rivals some of the biggest names in college coaching.