Deion Sanders on his expectations in first year at Colorado: ‘We will not settle for mediocrity’

First-year Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders has not shied away from the spotlight in his first two months in Boulder, Colorado.

The Buffs have gone from a college football afterthought to a team on the rise with the arrival of “Prime Time.” 

Deion Sanders attends SiriusXM At Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 9, 2023 in Phoenix. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

The football program has fallen on hard times over the past several years, firing head coach Karl Dorrell after an 0-5 start to the 2022 season and ending the year at 1-11. 

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However, Sanders’ arrival has brought energy to a program that has not won more than five games in a season since 2016. 

With that energy comes expectations for the players in Sanders’ locker room.  

“It’s a whole different level of expectation around here, and you got to be able to play the game,” Sanders told ESPN on Friday. “So a certain level that might have been welcome, that level is no longer welcomed here. It’s a whole different game now.”

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Colorado Buffaloes head football coach Deion Sanders speaks to members of the media about National Signing Day during a press conference at the Dal Ward Athletic Center in Boulder, Colorado, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. Sanders spoke about signing new players to the football team for the upcoming season.  (Matthew Jonas/MediaNews Group/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images)

Sanders has brought with him a number of players from Jackson State, including five-star cornerback Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Sanders’ son. 

Colorado got a whopping 24 commits via the transfer portal – good for a top-five transfer portal class – and pulled in the 21st-ranked class on National Signing Day. 

“He’s brought a lot of energy and passion to this program again,” Colorado athletic director Rick George said on Signing Day. “It’s what we desperately needed.”

While Sanders is certainly infusing the Colorado roster with talent, it will still be an uphill battle for the Buffaloes. 

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Colorado kicks off the 2023 college football season against national runner-up TCU, before taking on Nebraska in their non-conference schedule. 

Deion Sanders holds up a jersey before speaking after being introduced as the new head football coach at the University of Colorado during a news conference Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, in Boulder, Colorado. Sanders left Jackson State University after three seasons at the helm of the school’s football team. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The start to their Pac-12 slate is brutal, as the Buffs will head to Oregon before welcoming USC to Boulder. 

However, Sanders plans on winning right away. 

“We will not settle for mediocrity,” Sanders said. “It is what it is. You’re going to get on this program, or you’re going to get up out of here. We plan on winning, and we don’t have time to procrastinate.”