After six straight seasons of massive underperformance, the Colorado football program went out and poached Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders as their 25th bench boss in school history. Sanders, a former two-sport athlete and NFL Hall of Famer led Jackson State to a 27-6 record across three seasons, quickly becoming a realistic candidate for vacant FBS jobs. Sanders made headlines during his first few months on the job, using the transfer portal to bring an unprecedented 51 players to the roster.
Sanders’ inaugural season resulted in a three-win increase from the year prior, yet his unwavering popularity made him one of the most criticized and ridiculed coaches in college football. However, during Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium last month, UCF Knights head coach Gus Malzahn gave Sanders high acclaim, praising the former Dallas Cowboys cornerback for the job he has done at Colorado while calling Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders a star. On Thursday, Malzahn continued to voice his support for Sanders.
UCF Head Coach Gus Malzahn: Talks Deion Sanders
Head coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado football program will head to the Big 12 next season after over a decade in the now-defunct Pac-12. Although he has a fair share of critics, Sanders has one fan at the conference among his peers. UCF Knights leadman Gus Malzahn. During Big 12 Media Days last month, Malzahn spoke glowingly of Sanders and his son, starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Speaking to the media on Thursday, he double downed on the Deion praise, illuminating many similarities in their coaching style.
“He (Deion Sanders) has brought more attention to Colorado football in the last two years than they may have had when they won the national championship. Every coach has their own way of doing things, including me. I am a high school coach. I was one of the first high school coaches. I was isolated. I was on an island. There was a little feel that, ‘Well, he is doing it his own way.'”
“Whether people agree or disagree, let me tell you, they are talking about it. The national media is talking about it. Recruits like it. It’s a big game coming here, and let’s say he wasn’t the coach. It probably wouldn’t be the same. I got a lot of respect for him and the way he does it. I do it my way. He does it his way. We’re both outsiders. We do it our own way. I got a lot of respect for him. His son, the quarterback, is one of the best in the country, if not the best. He just happens to be Deion’s son.”
UCF will host Colorado football in late September, with the Knights fresh off a disappointing 6-7 season. Malzahn’s praise is noteworthy, with the 58-year-old owning a sparkling 101-54 record, including a 24-16 record at UCF. Malzahn earned multiple Coach of the Year awards during his tenure with Auburn football from 2013 to 2020. Auburn made the BCS Championship in 2012 but fell to the Florida State Seminoles.
Colorado Football HC Deion Sanders: Fan of Malzahn
Thursday is not the first time Gus Malzahn sang the praises of Colorado football’s leading man, Deion Sanders. Malzahn spoke highly of Sanders during Big 12 Media Day last month. When asked about Malzahn, Sanders did not mince words about the respect he has for the longtime head coach.
“He’s (Gus Malzahn) awesome, man… he’s real, he’s honest, he keeps it 100,” Sanders said, regarding Malzahn. “When we went there on a recruiting trip, I’ve never seen a coach do this. He had another kid that was like a five-star quarterback, and he said, ‘Alright, let’s see what y’all got.'”
“He took Shedeur on the backfield with some receivers and that quarterback, and they went at it, throw for throw. You know how it turned out, but who does that besides the coach that wants to know the truth?”
Malzahn took a liking to now-Colorado football star Shedeur Sanders during his high school days. However, the younger Sanders followed his dad to Jackson State, throwing for 70 touchdowns against 12 picks while with the SWAC team. Sheduer headed to Colorado football in 2023, throwing for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns, and three interceptions.
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