"He's put Colorado back on the map": Big 12 rival coach credits Deion Sanders for unreal popularity of Buffs football

Deion Sanders has helped increase the brand awareness of the Colorado Buffaloes as he enters Year 2 as the program's coach. With CU joining the Big 12, the team has been turning heads. During the Big 12 Media Days, Utah Utes coach Kyle Whittingham discussed the impact Sanders has had in elevating the Buffaloes' stock.

"He's put Colorado back on the map," Whittingham said.

That is high praise from one of college football's top coaches. Despite the program not winning a bowl game since 2004 and not having a winning record since the 2016 season, the excitement in Boulder is off the charts. It was shown last season when Deion Sanders had Boulder as one of the biggest destinations for college football and many celebrities found their way to games.

The team finished 4-8 in Coach Prime's first year, but the hype will die down if they cannot become a winner in the not-so-distant future as they need to show improvement as his coaching tenure continues with the University of Colorado.

Can Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes improve this season?

Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes can improve this season. CU surprised many by going 3-0 to begin last season but went a terrible 1-8 in Pac-12 action. There were a lot of flaws that caused the team to go downhill, and they were addressed throughout the offseason.

The biggest issue was the offensive line play as quarterback Shedeur Sanders was sacked 52 times. While not all of those can be placed on the offensive line, that is way too much for a team trying to win games.

Deion Sanders addressed the offensive line with a lot of moves, but none larger than getting incoming freshman Jordan Seaton to join the program, while getting 2025 recruits Chauncey Goode and Jay Gardenhire for the offensive line from the Class of 2025.

The Buffs also struggled to defend but changed coordinators as well as established more chemistry with the team. Expect Colorado to be in a bowl game and potentially in contention for the Big 12 championship.