"This is the first day I'm coaching without my boys": Coach Prime addresses his Class of 2025 signees ft. Julian Lewis

Another cycle has ended in the coaching career of Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders. The Colorado football coach welcomed a new team on Monday following the 2024 season and the departure of some of his biggest players.

Two of the departed players, Shedeur and Shilo Sanders, are Coach Prime’s sons, adding some emotion to his first team speech without them.

“This is the first day I’m coaching without my boys, which is a pleasure and honor for me," he told his new team (12:12). "So now I can just be a coach; I don’t have to be no dad, and I like that. But I feel I’m going to treat somebody in here or the multitude of y’all like you’re my sons because I love y’all just that much because you could have chosen anybody, but you chose us. And I feel like you chose me, so I’m proud of it.”

Coach Prime's Colorado sees a major shift after several stars leave for NFL

Deion Sanders last coached several stars, including Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, to the Alamo Bowl which the Buffs lost to the BYU Cougars. With them gone, Coach Prime can turn a new page in his coaching career, featuring new faces. To replace Shedeur, for instance, the former NFL star orchestrated the flipping of five-star quarterback Julian Lewis from the USC Trojans.

Sanders has been notable for mostly recruiting from the transfer portal. However, with 14 signees recruited from high school, the 2025 cycle showed how effective Coach Prime can be at recruiting players from high school.

Below is the list of all Colorado's 2025 signees:

1. Julian Lewis
2. Carde Smith
3. London Merritt
4. Adrian Wilson
5. Quanell Farrakhan Jr.
6. Chauncey Gooden
7. Antonio Branch
8. Christian Hudson
9. Quentin Gibson
10. Mantrez Walker
11. Alexander McPherson
12. Zayne DeSouza
13. Corbin Laisure
14. Jay Gardenhire-Crooks

Sanders previously flipped Hunter, the No. 1 prospect in his class, from Florida State during his stint at Jackson State. The two-way star followed him to Colorado in 2022.