Video: Urban Meyer Shares What He's Expecting From Deion Sanders At Colorado
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Since Colorado made the splashiest hire of the offseason in the form of Deion Sanders, there have been a wide range of predictions about how Sanders will fare in his first FBS coaching job.
Some believe Sanders will be able to carry over the success he experienced at Jackson State, where he led the Tigers to a 23-3 record across the past two seasons. Others think he's more sizzle than substance and will flame out against better competition.
A coach who knows better than most what it takes to win at the highest level of college football has now voiced his opinion.
Count Urban Meyer among those optimistic about Sanders' ability to win at Colorado.
The former Florida and Ohio State coach joined the "All Things Covered" podcast with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden this week. Among the topics of conversation was his expectations for Sanders at Colorado.
While Meyer noted that it might take a few years since the Buffaloes were a dismal 1-11 last season, he believes that, eventually, Sanders will succeed.
"I think he's gonna flip it," Meyer said of Sanders. "Nothing crazy the first year, but I'd say within the first couple years, I see — they were very poor the last couple years, but I'm seeing certainly a bowl game and an eight, nine-win season."
One of the reasons Meyer is bullish on Sanders' ability to keep winning in the Pac-12 is his coaching staff. Meyer noted that Sanders, who has just three seasons of full-time college coaching experience, hired several veterans to serve on his staff, including former NFL head coach Mike Zimmer and former college head coach Willie Taggart.
"He hired some really experienced coaches on his staff," Meyer said, "which he had to do."
Sanders has also already infused the Colorado roster with quite a bit of talent. He landed the top-rated player in the transfer portal in former Jackson State defensive back Travis Hunter as well as the No. 1 cornerback prospect in the 2023 class in Cormani McClain.
Sanders will not only face the challenge of rebuilding the Colorado roster in his first season — he's already signed 23 players from the transfer portal — but will face a difficult early schedule. The Buffaloes open on the road against defending national runner-up TCU and then face former Big 12 rival Nebraska. After a matchup with Colorado State, they open Pac-12 play against Oregon and USC.
Regardless of whether or not Sanders is able to turn Colorado back into a contender, a lot of eyes will be on him during his tenure in Boulder.
