The landscape of college athletics is in the midst of a transformation. Name, Image, and Likeness has shifted the balance of power, forcing coaches to adjust how they guide players now earning millions while still in school.
While athletes approach recruiting with greater financial weight, not just for themselves, but for the families they leave behind, it's a generational opportunity. Yet with new avenues come new challenges. Young players suddenly thrust into financial independence often lack the preparation to manage it.
This is similar to top NBA players going broke from mismanagement of funds. However, Deion Sanders is trying to ensure financially literacy is fully understood. It's one part of preparing his players for life.
Coach Prime has never shied away from doing things differently. He’s drawn criticism at times for his approach, but his resume, spanning Hall of Fame playing days to his ongoing coaching career, speaks for itself. At Colorado, Sanders has made it his mission to remind players that beyond the game, they are sons, future fathers, and men whose lives will stretch long after the final whistle.
One of Sanders’ most personal rituals has now evolved into something bigger than even he might have imagined. Before games, he would take a walk with his sons, Shedeur and Shilo, a quiet moment that grounded their shared journey in football. Even as Shedeur, now with the Cleveland Browns, carried the tradition into the NFL by taking the walk alone before a preseason matchup, the gesture’s meaning lingered in Boulder.
One Colorado player recently approached Sanders with a simple but powerful question: “Coach Prime, you know we’re still gonna walk, right?”
Deion Sanders walks out with his sons, Shedeur and Shilo, for the final time at Colorado 🥹 pic.twitter.com/K12tWCt0BX
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 29, 2024
That moment revealed the depth of Sanders’ impact. What began as a father’s tradition with his sons has been adopted by an entire locker room. It’s no longer just about family by blood. It’s about the bonds built within a team. Players are embracing a ritual that symbolizes belief in something larger than themselves.
This is the influence that lasts. Coaches can’t always know the burdens their athletes carry, but the best ones provide a sense of belonging and purpose that extends far beyond football. For Sanders, it’s never been about “entertaining” as some critics suggest, but rather about competing in life.
If this walk becomes a permanent fixture at Colorado, and perhaps beyond, it will stand as a testament to how traditions are born. For Coach Prime, the legacy may be less about the plays drawn up on a Saturday, and more about the steps taken together before kickoff.
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