Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders made headlines this week with his bold reminder that Colorado’s season is far from finished. Asked about a circulating video where he said “why not us?”, Sanders leaned into the phrase — and used it to defend a fellow coach under fire, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.
“Dabo Swinney is one of my favorites. I love him to life. I love the man he is, the coach he is, just a great guy. Just a guy that I could look up to, you know, in this coaching realm,” Sanders said. “And just looking back on some of the things that they’ve accomplished and they’ve been sitting here before, you know, one and two, and they turned it all around. I think they ended up 10-2 that season.”
Sanders then turned the message directly toward his Buffaloes. “And why not us? Why can’t we turn it around? Why can’t we correct the wrongs with the rights and display consistency and do those things? Because we have the talent in house. We just got to put it through usage and do what we are capable of doing.”
"Why not us?"-Deion Sanders on Colorado turning 1-2 to 10-2 pic.twitter.com/3f0otbAUnW
— Colorado Buffaloes Country (@BuffsonAthlon) September 16, 2025
For Sanders, belief is tied to accountability. He made clear that leadership and consistency are the hallmarks he expects from his program, particularly at quarterback.
“That ain’t much to ask for, is it? Leadership and consistency. I look for that for everyone. Every man, every woman that’s involved in my life. Leadership and consistency.”
He also bristled at the idea that his team needs an “identity” beyond winning:
“I don’t know coaches that seek identity. I think coaches seek wins. You could call it what you want or it looks the way it looks. I don’t care what kind of car we pull up in. As long as we pull out of here with a W, I’m good.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Swinney stood behind his own program in a fiery defense after Clemson’s 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech dropped the Tigers from the AP Top 25.
Dabo Swinney responds to critics: "I mean, if Clemson is tired of winning. They can send me on my way, but I'm gonna go somewhere else and coach. I ain't going to the beach."#CollegeFootball #Clemson #DaboSwinney pic.twitter.com/BIbZOnlQn2
— Clemson Sports (@ClemsonSports) September 16, 2025
“If they want me gone, if they are tired of winning, they can send me on the way. Because that’s all we’ve done is win,” Swinney said. “We’ve won this league eight out of the last 10 years. Is that not good? … To go to the playoffs seven out of 10 years, be in four national championships and win it twice. Yeah, we’re down right now. Take your shots, but I got a long memory. In case y’all don’t know, we’ll be all right. We’ll bounce back.”
Swinney’s passion echoes Sanders’ belief in resilience. Both men find themselves in moments of scrutiny, and both are adamant that faith, accountability, and consistency will push their programs through.
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