In the first official meeting of the Colorado team after a mass exodus of players to the transfer portal, Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders delivered a powerful message to his team on how to achieve «success» and make it to the NFL.
Sanders, who previously served as head coach at jackson State, has seen nearly 50 players leave the team since his arrival in December and more than 70 total enter the transfer portal since August, according to ESPN.
Deion Sanders, CU’s new football coach, and athletic director Rick George, right, chat at the Arrow Touchdown Club during a press conference on December 4, 2022 in Boulder, Colorado. (Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Despite the massive overhaul, however, Sanders is still committed to turning around a program that went just 1-11 last season.
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«Success is something, really a quality or goal that you set for yourself and achieve or obtain, through discipline and routine. That’s success,» Sanders said in a video posted on the «Well Off Media» YouTube account. , which is run by his son.
«I want every single one of you, including the coaches, to succeed and be successful. But that’s a whole other thing than winning.»
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before their spring game at Folsom Field on April 22, 2023 in Boulder, Colorado. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
«Win and Succeed [are] two different things,» he continued. Winning is something you do that affects other men. Because success doesn’t do that.»
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«But we have to win. That’s the goal.»
Sanders is well aware of what it takes to succeed, but even as twice super bowl championAn eight-time Pro Bowler and one-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Sanders warned his players that success isn’t defined by turning pro.
“You are here for a common goal, and that is to win and to be successful,” he said.
«I want all of you to be professionals, but nine times out of 10 that’s not going to happen. But that doesn’t negate the fact that you could succeed. The richest men in America never played ball.»
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders plays for fans in the first half of the team’s spring practice NCAA college football game on Saturday, April 22, 2023, in Boulder, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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Despite the roster shakeup, expectations for Sanders remain high. Last week, Colorado sold 11,273 tickets for a single game, the most single-game single-day total in team history. The university previously used up its season ticket allocation for the first time since 1996.
“Let’s work on mastering and it starts today,” Sanders said during the meeting. «Be on time, be conscientious, do what you’re supposed to do, and let’s do this.»
Associated Press contributed to this report.