What legacy will Deion Sanders leave at Colorado?

Beginning with his tour of duty at historically Black Jackson State, where he revitalized a moribund program, Deion Sanders has put his fingerprints all over college football.

He’s done it with smoke, mirrors and fanfare, exploiting the modern current of college athletics using the transfer portal and name, image and likeness that has allowed athletes to make their own business deals.

Does this approach work? Will Sanders work? What legacy will Sanders leave in Boulder, Colorado?

On Sept. 7, Colorado was routed by Nebraska 28-10. Critics immediately predicted doom, said that the wheels were falling off and that Sanders was a showman and little else. Local media took shots, referring to quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ 30-carat diamond watch, his Maybach and NIL deals. The Nebraska game was framed as a referendum on Sanders’ way of running his program, which leans heavily on transfers. With the loss to Nebraska, Colorado had lost seven of its last eight games under Sanders and been outscored 265-181 by its opponents.

But a week later, with a masterful performance by Shedeur Sanders and wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter, the narrative has once again shifted as it will continue to do throughout the season. Sanders threw four touchdowns, Hunter caught two and also played a great game on defense where he intercepted one pass. Colorado went on the road and outclassed Colorado State 28-9.

This was Colorado’s first signature win of the season and the game was a far cry from its dramatic double overtime win at Folsom Field in 2023. This was a beatdown that re-established Shedeur Sanders as a top NFL prospect. The game also established Hunter as a front-runner for the Heisman Trophy as a dynamic two-way player.

What we’ve been trying to figure out, more so than with any other college coach, is what is Deion Sanders. Is he a great coach? What even makes a great coach? Strictly wins and losses? Impact on players’ lives? Impact on the college community?

Big-time college football has not been kind or welcoming to African American coaches. Even as these programs thrive on young Black bodies, Black coaches have not been given equal access.

Getting those jobs and keeping those jobs has been an uphill battle, so Sanders carries the banner for opportunity in his own way.

Colorado has already won as many games under Sanders (five) as it did in 2021 and 2022 combined. For now, Sanders, well known as Coach Prime, is building a week-to-week, game-by-game reputation — not yet a legacy but more than a flash in the pan.

The narrative will change once again when Colorado begins its Big 12 schedule by hosting Baylor at Folsom Field. And the narrative will change the week after that and the week after that and the week after that until Colorado either earns a bowl bid or does not. And then there will be the postseason anticipation of Sanders announcing whether he will stay at Colorado or accept a job at a place such as Florida State, where he starred as an undergraduate but was passed over when he was looking for a coaching job.

Whether Sanders stays or goes has been a subject in all facets of the university, even among the academics. This is because he has had such an impact on all parts of the university.

With Hunter and his sons Shedeur and Shilo leaving after the season, does Sanders want to continue the coaching grind?

“I hate to say it, but I would say I’m 60/40, that he’s not going to come back,’’ said Jared Browsh, an assistant teaching professor at Colorado and the director of the Critical Sports Studies Program in the Department of Ethnic Studies. Browsh describes himself as a cultural historian who examines the political economics of sports and the relationship between culture, money, power and identity in the United States and globally.

What cannot be denied is the short-term impact of Sanders’ presence in Boulder.

“His economic impact has been just absolutely mind-boggling,’’ Browsh said. “I couldn’t imagine that. The first-year estimates anywhere between $300 million and $500 million for the regional economy. Also, donations to these places on campus like the Center for African and African American Studies, but also donations that support scholarships, donations to support advancement, are significant along with selling out games and people coming to Boulder to be a part of this energy.’’

He also noted the energy and enthusiasm Sanders continues to bring to the school. Browsh, a Philadelphia native, said many of his friends in his hometown follow Colorado football because of Sanders’ aura.

“Friends from Philly, who wouldn’t be able to point to Boulder on a map, regularly post about him, whether it’s hype videos or whether it’s his press conferences or what his sons are doing,’’ Browsh said.

“Then there’s going from an also-ran to getting regular prime-time games and being the first story.”

Browsh has not had much contact with Sanders, but he has had a number of Sanders’ players in his class. All of the talk about the number of transfers coming into the program may create the impression that the players are not serious about getting an education. Browsh said that was not his experience.

“Especially since I typically teach in the summer, a lot of the transfer students come in through that as well to make up some of the credits,’’ Browsh said. “From that standpoint, I’ve always had great luck and great experiences with student-athletes. But the student-athletes he’s brought in have just been really high-quality young men. And I can’t say enough good things from the classroom experience as a faculty member.”

None of that may be enough to keep Sanders in Boulder if the season does not turn out positively, especially given the scrutiny and criticism locally and even debates among faculty.

“Never in the history of the school has the face of the university been an African American man who’s authentically himself,’’ Browsh said. “ ‘Not only am I here, but I’m here as myself.’ And I think that that authenticity obviously has rubbed some people the wrong way. I just think especially if things don’t turn around in terms of winning and losing, and he continues to get more negative criticism, honestly, I wouldn’t blame him if he is just kind of like, ‘I’m going to move on and seek other opportunities.’

“I guess I’m leaning towards him not returning because as a coach. All he has really known is being connected with his sons and being so close to Travis as well. And I can imagine if we end up again 4-8 or don’t make a bowl game, you start getting grumbling.’’

Which again raises a question of what legacy will Sanders leave whether he leaves at the end of the season or five seasons. How will he be remembered?

He is great with (or rather for) the media, but is he brilliant as a coach? That will be reflected in the team’s record and postseason performance. Reaching the College Football Playoff would be a major coup, simply reaching a bowl game would be a major accomplishment. The playoffs are expanding to 12 teams this season. If Colorado receives an at-large bid, Sanders’ legacy is set. Colorado’s last bowl game was a 55-23 loss to Texas in the 2020 Alamo Bowl.

While Colorado’s performance against Nebraska gave the impression that Colorado was not close, the Buffaloes’ rebound performance against Colorado State provided hope and that’s precisely what Sanders has done in his two seasons at Colorado. He has provided hope.

“My feeling is the university needs him more than he needs the university,” Browsh said. “But there are still corners, including the press, who might convince him that he’s better off in another place.”

Colorado football under Sanders continues to be a compelling roller-coaster ride with steep highs and breathtaking lows. But this season the stakes are a little higher. Coach Prime is not only coaching for wins losses, but he’s also coaching for his legacy.