Coach Prime, CU coming to Tucson; do perceptions about him match reality? | Michael Lev

BOULDER, Colo. — An epic college football game hangs in the balance, and Kevin Durant is playing catch along the home team’s sideline.

Moments later, after a wild finish, the home side trudges off the field, on the wrong end of a 31-28 instant classic. Among those headed up the ramp: Carmelo Anthony.

Welcome to Colorado Buffaloes football under Deion Sanders, aka Coach Prime. It’s part football program, part reality show, part celebrity shindig.

Coach Prime, his team and his friends are coming to a stadium near you. Arizona will host Colorado for homecoming Saturday afternoon. The game sold out weeks in advance. That generally doesn’t happen in Tucson these days.

But Sanders — easily the most famous coach in college football — and his star-studded squad are a draw unlike anything this sport has seen since perhaps Pete Carroll’s USC Trojans in the 2000s. That’s what the crammed CU sideline reminded me of Saturday night. Multiple current Denver Nuggets were there. Terrell Owens was there. CC Sabathia was there. Folsom Field is the place to be. It’s been the place to be since Sanders arrived in December 2022.

Love him or hate him — and I know many of you fall into the latter category — Sanders and the Buffs are must-see TV. Early last season, Boulder practically became the permanent home for the Saturday-morning pregame shows that hop from campus to campus. ESPN and FOX want Colorado in, well, prime time as much as possible. The CU-Baylor game earlier this season wasn’t exactly well-played, but it was riveting. You couldn’t take your eyes off it — and if you did, you missed an ending that almost seemed scripted.

I ventured to Boulder last week to get a sense of whether the perceptions about Sanders’ program match the reality. Here’s what I observed and heard:

Thursday: Behold beautiful Boulder

On the tail end of a fall-break trip to Colorado, my family and I make our third and final stop in this city tucked into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

The weather is glorious — about 80 degrees with a mix of sun and clouds. The campus looks gorgeous — lush green lawns, soaring pine trees and classic buildings with brick facades.

Male students walk around in sportscoats and loosely knotted ties. We learn from one that it’s rush week — proof that someone on the CU campus can rush.

We make our way to the bookstore in the University Memorial Center to check out the latest in Buffs paraphernalia. The available merchandise includes something I doubt you’ll find on any other college campus: The head coach’s own line of clothing.

“Coach Prime” sweatshirts. “Prime 21” jerseys. Prominently displayed in the middle of the store.

You might view this as an example of Sanders elevating himself above the team. An homage to his ego for $75 a pop.

Or, if you accept the reality of modern college sports, CU is simply capitalizing on the popularity of its coach. People want to wear Coach Prime gear. The school is giving them what they want. And if it helps generate revenue, all the better.

(For what it’s worth, none of the Coach Prime apparel is as expensive as the lululemon sweats, pullovers, joggers and leggings also being sold at the store.)

Coach Prime merch isn’t hard to find at the Pearl Street Mall either. Jackalope & Co. even sells faux gold chains.

Later that night, during “Thursday Night Football,” the following commercials air back-to-back: A Kentucky Fried Chicken spot featuring CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders and dad Deion, and an AFLAC ad narrated by the elder Sanders.

Coach Prime on Amazon Prime. You could feel the synergy.

Friday: Stampede sans Sanders

About 6 p.m. Friday, 26½ hours before kickoff against Kansas State, little kids are frolicking on Pearl Street’s brick-paved thoroughfare. Boulder residents and CU alumni are cheerfully dining outdoors, enjoying the crisp autumn air.

(Yes, my fellow Tucsonans — fall does exist.)

Metal orange barriers have been erected for the “Pearl Street Stampede” — the parade/pep rally that precedes most CU home football games.

As I walk eastward toward the Boulder County Historic Courthouse, I hear a woman speaking to a child, presumably her son. She says Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter attended the previous Stampede.

“Oh my god,” the child giddily replies. “Those are my favorite players!”

Deion, Shedeur and Travis will not be there on this night. But no one knows that yet.

Just before 7 p.m., the Golden Buffalo Marching Band begins playing in front of the courthouse. Kids scale lamp-post stanchions to get a better view.

Hundreds of CU fans line the parade route. They chant “Go Buffs!” and “Go CU!” while awaiting the processional.

A vintage, gold-and-black firetruck leads the way. The CU dance team and cheerleaders follow. Finally, the band — the star of the show sans Deion, Shedeur and Travis — comes through, tooting horns and thumping drums.

The scene is no different than countless pep rallies across the country. Boulder hosted Pearl Street Stampedes before Deion Sanders arrived and will continue to after he leaves.

But I have to imagine the enthusiasm is much greater — the pep rally peppier — than in the pre-Prime period. CU football was awful. Even worse, it was nationally irrelevant. Deion Sanders changed that.

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A CU spokesman told me Sanders and the team attended the previous two Stampedes. They skipped this one, disappointing at least some of the faithful.

“Has the team been here yet?” a man asks me as the parade concludes and the crowd disperses.

“Haven’t seen ’em,” I respond.

Saturday: Folsom Field fanaticism

Folsom Field is one of the best settings in college football. It’s especially lively on this night.

Colorado and Kansas State are each 4-1. The Wildcats are ranked 18th in the AP poll. The Buffaloes are hot, having won three straight.

During pregame warmups, Deion Sanders stands at the 10-yard line with his arms folded. He wears black sweatpants, a black hoodie, a ball cap and sunglasses. If he’s trying to go incognito, it’s not working.

After the teams leave the field, a cheerleader leads the crowd in a pulsating chant of “C ... U!” Then, the coolest tradition in college football: Ralphie’s run. It never disappoints.

As the Buffs return just before kickoff, Hunter waves his arms to juice the crowd a little bit more. The fans roar when Shedeur Sanders is introduced as the starting quarterback.

After a touchdown pass from Sanders to LaJohntay Wester gives Colorado a 7-0 lead, the crowd sings in unison to Blink 182’s “All the Small Things.” The party is raging.

KSU battles back. QB Avery Johnson stumbles into the end zone for the tying score. He celebrates by doing Deion Sanders’ signature shuffle. Does any other college coach have his own TD dance?

The Wildcats begin to impose their physicality. They build a 21-7 lead midway through the third quarter. Hunter — the two-way unicorn and best player in college football — has been lost to injury. So has receiver Jimmy Horn Jr., among others.

Fun fact: I covered five games in Boulder while on the USC and Arizona beats. I only saw Colorado win once, over a struggling, rebuilding UA club in 2021. I saw Matt Barkley throw six TD passes here. I saw Khalil Tate run for 327 yards. I never came away impressed with the Buffs’ ballast.

Yet here they are, without Hunter and Horn, rallying. Shedeur Sanders connects with Wester to give CU the lead with 3:12 to play. I’m down on the field at this point. It’s deafening.

It’s also 11:39 p.m. I scan the stands for empty seats. I don’t see any.

KSU counterstrikes. Johnson hits Jayce Brown for a 50-yard score with 2:14 left.

Colorado’s last gasp ends with an incomplete pass on fourth-and-5. It might have been pass interference. “KSU!” chants are now ringing out from the visitors’ section.

No matter: The Buffs have acquitted themselves well.

Sunday: Postgame plaudits, politeness

Dozens of media members have gathered in a meeting room on the third floor of the Champions Center in the northeast corner of Folsom Field. Cameras nearly stretch from one end of the room to the other.

Deion Sanders arrives at 12:13 a.m. He immediately compliments KSU and Chris Klieman, making sure to note his FCS roots.

Sanders stumbles over his words at one point and reminds himself, “Take your time, Coach.” He is disappointed in the outcome but proud of his team. He is also unfailingly polite, exchanging pleasantries with every reporter.

It’s not what I was expecting. We’ve all seen clips of Sanders being combative with the media. Tonight, he is cordial, never contentious.

After the final question has been answered, Sanders says: “Thank you, God bless you, get home safely.”

Shedeur Sanders and safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig then enter the room. Shedeur offers no excuses for Colorado’s defeat and won’t buy the premise that it was a moral victory for the Buffs.

“We made a statement that we lost,” he says. “A loss is a loss.”

Later, Shedeur is asked to assess his personal performance.

“Overall, we didn’t get the result we wanted,” he says. “So as a quarterback, that’s gonna go on you.”

The interviews end at 12:38 a.m. Soon enough, Colorado will shift its attention to Arizona.

The Buffs’ upcoming visit could be Deion Sanders’ lone appearance at Arizona Stadium. He might be in this for the long haul. His roster-building strategy suggests otherwise.

Sons Shedeur and Shilo, a safety who returned from injury Saturday, will be out of eligibility at season’s end. Hunter, a junior, is likely to enter the NFL Draft. Colorado has tried to maximize this window before it shuts.

Deion Sanders’ tenure has been disappointing and frustrating at times, including his peculiar approach toward high school recruiting, the athletic department banning a Denver Post columnist from asking questions and various other off-field distractions.

But at 4-2, the Buffs are tracking toward making a bowl game for the first time since 2020 and just the third time in the past 17 years. That alone would make the Coach Prime hire a success. Looking around at a packed Folsom Field, one could argue that it already is.