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Colorado Buffaloes’ head coach Deion Sanders gets talked about more than any other coach in college football. Most of that conversation is about the spectacle around him. One of his Big 12 rivals just pushed back on that narrative.
Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold spoke about Sanders at Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas. He was asked about the effect Sanders has had on the conference since Colorado joined the Big 12 ahead of the 2024 season.
“When you really look at what coach has, I don’t want to say old-school, but he has a very disciplined way of approach,” Leipold said, per the Topeka Capital-Journal. “When he speaks up in our meetings, it’s very fundamentally disciplined and sound for somebody that you wouldn’t always believe because of his charisma and things like that.”
What he is describing is someone completely different from the Coach Prime the cameras always catch. In the room, Sanders is quiet, disciplined, and precise.
“He has brought attention to this league and excitement,” Leipold said in the conference, per the Topeka Capital-Journal. “But again I think for what he’s done, he doesn’t seek attention. He’s not doing that. He’s very humble in our coaches meetings. He’s not a grandstander.”
Sanders transformed Colorado quickly from a 1-11 team in 2022 to four wins in his first season. Coach Prime then followed that with a remarkable 9-4 campaign in 2024.
The Buffaloes tied for first in the Big 12 with a 7-2 conference record and narrowly missed both the conference title game and the College Football Playoff before enduring a 3-9 season in 2025.
Leipold respects Sanders because of his humble and disciplined personality behind closed doors, completely defying his flashy media persona.
Leipold and Sanders have only faced each other once on the field. Kansas beat Colorado 37-21 in Kansas City in 2024. While the two programmes are not scheduled to meet again in the 2026 regular season, Deion’s Colorado holds a new look this season.
Deion Sanders has overhauled the Colorado roster and coaching staff ahead of the upcoming season
The outside pressure on Sanders heading into 2026 is real. ESPN College GameDay Podcast analyst Pete Thamel said that Colorado is “scheduled to fail” due to a brutal non-conference slate that includes two Power Four road games before Big 12 play even begins, per ESPN.
Colorado goes to Georgia Tech first, then hosts Weber State, before travelling to Northwestern and opening conference play on the road at Baylor.
Sanders responded to the external doubt by completely rebuilding his staff. New offensive coordinator Brennan Marion came in with a spread system designed around quarterback Julian Lewis.
New defensive coordinator Chris Marve took over a unit that allowed 222.5 rushing yards per game in 2025.
Lewis has been one of the most talked-about quarterbacks in college football this offseason. If he delivers early and Colorado wins a few of those non-conference tests, the conversation around Sanders changes overnight.
Do you think Deion Sanders will lead Colorado to a bowl game in 2026? Let us know in the comments.
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