Urban Meyer predicts success for Deion Sanders as Colorado coach: ‘I think he’s going to flip it’

Colorado coach Deion Sanders has received a major endorsement ahead of his first season as coach of the Buffaloes, this time from former national championship-winning coach Urban Meyer. During an appearance on the All Things Covered podcast with Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson, Meyer threw his support behind Sanders and set some pretty high expectations for the Buffaloes over the next few years under Coach Prime’s watch. 

“I think he’s going to flip it,” Meyer said. “Nothing crazy in the first year, but in the first couple years, I’d say certainly a bowl game and an eight or nine-win season.” 

The Buffaloes have struggled mightily over the past two decades, reaching bowl eligibility just twice since 2008. Things tanked under third-year coach Karl Dorrell in 2022 as Colorado finished 1-11. Sanders does have a proven track record of turning a program around, though, flipping Jackson State from a 4-8 record in 2019 to a 23-3 record across his two full seasons with the HBCU program. 

Sanders has already made a massive impact on Colorado’s roster in fewer than two months on campus. The Buffaloes hold the No. 4 transfer class in the nation with 23 commits, including 10 from the Power Five level. Seven others followed Coach Prime from Jackson State, including former No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter and his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders. 

The high school recruiting exploded, too, as Colorado landed the No. 29 high school class with three blue-chip recruits. For comparison, Colorado has not put together a top-30 high school recruiting class since 2008. Sanders also poached Kent State coach Sean Lewis to run his offense and former Alabama and Florida coordinator Charles Kelly to run the defense. 

“With much is given, much is expected and I think they’re going to feel that real soon,” Meyer said. “There’s a lot going on. Colorado and Prime is everywhere in the news. He’s getting recruits and recruits are talking about him. I think it’s one of the best things to happen to Colorado football since Bill McCartney in 1990 when they won it all.”