​Frisco, Texas — Deion Sanders is emphatic that he’s feeling markedly better these days than he did a year ago, when he was emerging from bladder cancer surgery and still frail. He notes that last spring he was away from his Colorado football program from May through the start of training camp, a stretch that was hard on him personally and left an imprint on a team that would finish the season 3-9. Reflecting on that disappointing campaign, Sanders acknowledged that even after returning to the program he didn’t feel like himself. “You know when you’ve been sick, but you still had to get your butt up and do what you had to do?” he asked. “You were there in the flesh, but you weren’t you in thought process and thinking and the quickness and being free of thought. That’s where I was. I’m putting that on me — there were some holes that I saw that I didn’t make adjustments on. I should have. I should have shot some things early on.”
Now Sanders says he feels transformed. He asserts that he has his fingerprints on every player on the roster and is intimately familiar with “every kid that we recruited, every kid that we even contemplated.” “I’ve seen him. I’ve watched him,” Sanders said. “I picked him.” He speaks highly of his staff, declaring that he believes he has the best group of communicators he has ever worked with. He believes their strengths will help prepare the players for the subtle moments that separate wins from losses and will aid in-game adjustments when necessary. Sanders insists that Colorado finally has the personnel needed to find success not only in the Big 12, but beyond.
With the changes in player personnel and coaching staff—including new offensive and defensive coordinators—Sanders contends that the Buffs have already turned the program around. “You just ain’t seen the fruit,” he said. At 58, Sanders has faced health challenges in recent years that have led to questions about whether he would continue coaching. To Coach Prime, there is no doubt: this is who he is. “I love to coach. I love to do what I do. I love to inspire, encourage and motivate them. I love to be there for the youngsters. … This ain’t nothing I could just walk away from and turn my back on that game. God ain’t called me to do that. This is my calling. We already know I’m answering.”
While he’s healthy enough to continue coaching, Sanders is careful not to look too far ahead. “Let’s not talk about tomorrow,” he said. “We’ve got today at hand. I’m going to focus on the now. When I’m at my best, I focus on the now and I dominate the now. Then, I deal with the next.”