Why hasn’t Colorado moved on from Coach Prime yet?
The writing’s on the wall — Colorado head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders is on his way out.
The performance the Buffaloes put up against the Arizona State Sun Devils last week was one that was lackluster and uninspiring at best. They looked like they were playing for a coach that was going to be fired.
The Buffs lost their sixth game in seven tries, only beating the 4-5 Kansas State Wildcats by three in overtime. They had the ball and a six-point lead with under a minute left before floundering the ball and the lead.
So why hasn’t Colorado moved on from Coach Prime yet?
For one thing, the price tag is undesirable. Colorado would still be on the hook for $25.5 million with just three games left in the season. Firing its coach wouldn’t make too much sense if they only have three games left and if they feel confident enough to make a bowl game. That move would signal that the program is giving up on the season.
Right now, Sanders and players feel confident enough to make a bowl game.
“Right now we’re just trying to fight for the chance to be in a bowl game,” senior wide receiver DeAndre Moore said ahead of the Buffs’ Week 11 match against Houston.
Against Houston, the Buffs have a short week, playing on a Friday instead of a Saturday. Moving up gameday also moves up the rest of the week and preparation. Those little things could get even more disrupted if Colorado fires its coach. The university and athletic director Fernando Lovo could be waiting for after the short week to oust their coach, but by then, the season would nearly be over.
Still, Lovo could be getting a feel for the environment at Folsom Field. If the crowd isn’t in it, his hand could be forced to fire Sanders.
Another factor is the revenue. Sanders has been a money-maker for the university, drawing in a reported $500 million in value for the University of Colorado through a combination of media exposure, ticket sales and wider economic impact.
If Sanders has exhausted his time in primetime, there wouldn’t be as much of an incentive to keep him around. Getting a feel of the Folsom Field environment and the team’s performance against No. 14-ranked Houston could be a final litmus test for Sanders.
Few other coaches can say that they’ve generated half a billion dollars in revenue for a university, which could be another reason that Colorado hasn’t yet moved on. There isn't a clear successor to Prime within the program.
It’s hard to imagine offensive coordinator Brennan Marion getting the nod for the final two games. He’s not even averaging 20 points per game with the Buffs – a bottom-15 mark in the nation. They could turn to defensive coordinator Chris Marve who has had slightly more success in the Big 12.
For two games, Marve might be a suitable option as an interim head coach, but there aren’t too many other options that Lovo would feel comfortable with.
Canning your head coach would also have recruiting implications. Recently, three star offensive tackle Li’Marcus Jones decommitted from Colorado to Mississippi State on Monday, Nov. 9, 2026.
The following day, he released a statement, recommitting to Colorado, citing Sanders as the main factor.
“I allowed the media to get to my head about where Coach Prime will be at next year but the staff informed me that they will in fact be [there],” Jones said in a statement on X.
Firing Sanders at all, especially nearing the end of his fourth year in Boulder, would mean that Lovo would have to rebuild the program from scratch if recruits are tentatively staying based on Sanders’ job-security.
Colorado has yet to move on from their head coach, even though the program appears to be dead in the water. Time will tell how the rest of the Coach Prime era will play out.
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