Deion Sanders' Success Judged By Colorado Buffaloes Athletic Director

"We're in the infancy of what 'Coach Prime' is gonna do here," George told Thee Pregame Show. "If you think about we went from a 1-11 team to a 4-8 team and to a bowl game last year at 9-4 on the season, and we've got a lot of high expectations for this coming year. I'm not a 'told you so' guy. I'm confident in the decision we made. 'Coach Prime' has exceeded expectations, in my opinion."

To George's point, Colorado anticipates another successful season this fall despite losing quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and other key players to the NFL. Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter is expected to win the starting quarterback job, and "Coach Prime" has boosted the Buffs' offensive and defensive lines.

Looking toward the future, quarterback Julian "JuJu" Lewis and several other true freshmen are coming along nicely in fall camp. Bringing additional money into the program will be important, but George believes the Buffs are on the right track.

"The future is so bright," George said. "As (musician) Timbuk (3) says, 'I gotta wear shades.'"

The "Prime Effect"

Co-host Chico Cleveland later asked George to describe Sanders' widespread impact on Colorado, also known as the "Prime Effect."

"It's a lot because if you look at what he's done here, you look at our stadium, there's more color in our stadium than we've had in the past," George said. "When we're on the road, we're helping fill stadiums all over the country and they're in CU-logoed apparel... There's people that love him (Deion Sanders) and there's people that don't like him, and those people help. They're watching the games. They're doing the things."

Colorado Buffaloes 2025 Season Outlook

Colorado's 2025 season, the third under Deion Sanders' leadership, will look a little different than the past two years. "Coach Prime" and his staff have worked on improving the run game during fall camp, and the aforementioned Salter is also expected to do some damage with his legs.

Defensively, cornerback DJ McKinney, safety Tawfiq Byard, linebacker Reginald Hughes and defensive end Arden Walker are among those expected to step up. If the Buffs can stop the run on early downs, Walker and the rest of Colorado's pass rush have enough talent to lead the Big 12 in sacks again.

Colorado will open its 2025 season against the Georgie Tech Yellow Jackets on Aug. 29.