Coach Prime hits record-setting $31M in ticket revenue in second Boulder year

Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders' influence on the Colorado Buffaloes has been immediate. While the impact on the field has been easy to spot, the balance sheet looks just as good, according to the school's financial report.

Per USA Today, the Colorado Athletic Department released its financial report for the 2024 fiscal year this week, establishing a school-record $8.2 million profit. These numbers are from July 1, 2023, to June 30, meaning they only encapsulate Coach Prime’s first season in Boulder, when the Buffaloes finished with a 4-8 record.

Deion Sanders’ arrival turned Colorado from an afterthought into one of the most popular teams in the country. It also helped the program recruit more talent and gather some players through the transfer portal.

The Buffaloes also broke school records with $146.6 million in reported revenue and $31.2 million in ticket sales. However, the report also includes the funds allocated by the school, which was a record $31.9 million. While erasing that figure would still net the school a revenue record, the expenses have also increased during this time, making it hard to keep up.

It's also worth mentioning that these numbers were gathered despite the Buffaloes playing the 2023 season in the Pac-12. After moving to the Big 12, it is expected that Colorado could get a larger revenue from its new conference. The media rights revenue in the school's last year in the Pac-12 was $16.6 million, a $2.8 million decrease from a year before.

With a more competitive program in the 2024 season, including Travis Hunter’s Heisman Trophy and Shedeur Sanders’ first-round draft projection, the program’s profile could get a major boost for the coming seasons.

While the future looks bright in Colorado, rumors linking Coach Prime to an NFL position have been swirling around. Coach Prime has been adamant he will stay in Colorado and has no interest in moving to the NFL.

Sanders reportedly did have a call with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and a potential exit could hit the program hard.

Hall of Famer joining Coach Prime's staff?

With Colorado running backs coach Gary "Flea" Harrell out of the program for the upcoming season, it has been reported that Coach Prime would be looking for another Hall of Famer to fill the position: Marshall Faulk.

The former NFL MVP has no previous coaching experience but was a standout running back at college and the NFL. Faulk earned All-American honors at San Diego State and finished second in Heisman voting in 1992, losing to Miami's Gino Torretta.

In the pros, he was a part of the then-St. Louis Rams' "greatest show on turf," winning Super Bowl XXXIV and earning League MVP honors in 2000. Faulk was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

He worked with Coach Prime as a football analyst for NFL Network for more than a decade.