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Deion Sanders’ Prime Effect Grabs Limelight After He Outranks Caitlin Clark

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Tristan Afshar | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 9:57 AM ET

It’s not like there’s been any shortage of major sports stories lately.

Caitlin Clark has taken the WNBA by storm, the NBA Finals are ramping up and college football is approaching a groundbreaking 12-team playoff. But even in the middle of all that chaos, one name found its way to the top of ESPN’s homepage on Monday morning — Deion Sanders.

And Fox Sports host RJ Young believes that alone speaks volumes.

“But I really do believe that if this is not Deion Sanders, we’re not talking about it,” Young said on his show "Adapt & Respond." Young said. “When you go look for this story on a Monday morning, it led coverage on ESPN’s headlines — which is a sacred space.”

Young explained just how rare it is for a college football story to lead the charge over professional sports — let alone one tied to offseason news. According to him, it’s all the more remarkable given the competing noise from Caitlin Clark’s booming WNBA presence and the NBA playoffs nearing their peak.

“That top headline? That’s everything,” Young added. “They count reads over there. That’s how you keep your job. So they’re not writing about things that don’t work.”

If this is not Deion Sanders, we're not talking about what Shedeur did or didn't do two months ago. pic.twitter.com/D6okYukP0m
— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) June 2, 2025

In Young’s view, the fact that Deion’s offseason coverage catapulted to ESPN’s top billing confirms what sports media knew for months now — Deion Sanders isn’t just a coach. He’s a cultural force.

Despite competing headlines, Sanders’ name continues to dominate conversations. Whether it’s recruiting buzz, player development or simply a social media post from the Buffaloes’ camp, the Prime effect clearly hasn’t faded — and according to Young, it’s still redefining what grabs attention in today’s sports world.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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