Deion Sanders’ Tough Love Under the Microscope as Former NFL RB Questions Team Culture 

Deion Sanders surprised many by implementing a fine system for team violations that could carry big financial consequences for Colorado players. Former NFL running back Mark Ingram thinks Coach Prime’s player fines could be a symptom of a bigger locker room issue.

“When you miss, you pay, and that’s essentially what’s going on here with Prime,” Ingram said in the “Triple Option” podcast. “But I think the biggest storyline here is that Prime has an issue within the locker room, within the culture that he has to address this, right? 

“He’s putting these fines in place because there’s an issue going on where people are being late to treatment, people are being late to conditioning, people are being late to practice, people are missing practices. I think that is the biggest storyline to me because if that wasn’t going on within the culture of your locker room, you wouldn’t have to address (it).”

Under Sanders’ plan, penalties include: late to meetings or film sessions: $400; no-show to meetings or film sessions: $2,000; late to strength and conditioning: $1,000; missing practice: $2,500 fine; being late to practice: $500; no-show to strength and conditioning: $1,500; late to treatment: $1,000; no-show for treatment: $1,500; team rule violations: $1,000-$2,500 depending on severity; and public or social media misconduct: $2,500-$5,000 depending on severity.

The discipline issue that Ingram mentioned can be proved from one of Colorado’s incidents from last season when Sanders had to hold players accountable. The Buffaloes wide receivers Omarion Miller and Joseph Williams were benched to start the game in the game against Utah on Oct. 25. Following the game, it was reported that both players had returned late to the program after the bye week.

Deion Sanders Secures New Commitment in Colorado’s 2026 Class

Wide receiver Jacob Swain gave his verbal commitment to Colorado’s 2026 class on Monday. The standout from the Cypress High School in Melissa, Texas, chose Sanders’ program over offers from schools such as San Diego State, Louisville, UNLV, and USF.

According to Rivals’ Haydn Hollin, Swain committed to Colorado just a week after the school offered him.

“The message that I’ve gotten from the staff is that I’m the hidden gem,” Swain told BuffStampede. “Colorado sees something in me that a lot of other P4 programs must have missed.”

Swain is the No. 392 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 354 player from Texas, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He caught 53 passes for a total of 1,184 yards and scored 17 touchdowns in his senior season.