Deion Sanders has baggage.
And he wants his current, brand-new team to know about it.
In his first-ever team meeting as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, Sanders directed warnings at those players in attendance and encouraged anyone so inclined to feel free to enter the NCAA’s Transfer Portal.
In fact, Sanders told the Buffaloes’ players inside the school’s team room that, yes, he is bringing his son, Shedeur Sanders, as quarterback and also professed to having numerous additional newcomers already scheduled to join ‘Coach Prime’ in his first-ever major college coaching post.
Sanders touted his luggage; he even dropped a “Louis” reference … as in Louis Vuitton.
“We’ve got a few positions already taken care of because I’m bringing my luggage with me,” Sanders told the room in a video widely shared on social media. “And it’s Louis. I’m coming. It ain’t going to be no more of this mess that these wonderful fans, this student body, and some of your parents have put up with for probably two decades now. I’m coming. And when I get here, there’s going to be change.
“So I want y’all to get ready to go ahead and jump in that Portal. Do whatever you’re going to get. Because the more of you who jump in, the more room you make. Because we’re bringing kids that are smart, tough, fast, disciplined, with character.”
Sanders blasted the players for having their season ended more than a week ago.
“Folks are still playing football and we’re in here in a dern meeting,” he said. “ …
“Yep, the quarterback’s coming. Yep, about 10 more of them are coming and they’re dogs. They’re going to hunt and they’re going to eat. Anything else?”
Sanders opened the floor for questions from anyone in attendance through the final several minutes of the video posted online, and he was asked about the offseason program, the changes to the coaching staff, what would be expected of injured players and even if the current Buffaloes’ strength and conditioning staff would be retained.
Sanders did not lend too many specifics, but he again made grand proclamations.
“It’s going to be one of the best staffs you’ve ever seen assembled,” Coach Prime said. “One of the best recruiting staffs you’ve ever seen assembled. They’re coming.”
Sanders said “probably not” when asked if he would retain Colorado’s current strength staff. He said a couple of major decisions still lacked complete finality.
And as for that offseason regimen?
Sanders wants players to quit.
“It’s going to be a lot of work. A lot of work,” he said. “We’re going to have a couple breaks in the summer. Offseason, we’re going to try to make you quit. Those of you that we don’t run off, we’re going to try to make you quit. That’s what offseason is going to look like.
“I want the ones that don’t want to quit, that want to be here, that want to win. That want to be appreciative of every dern thing they’ve given you here. Heck of a lot of work. I want to get you to that breaking point so that I know what I’ve got. I don’t want to get into the game and find out I got Jane when all offseason I had Tarzan.”