Unsurprisingly, Deion Sanders delivered a blunt message in his debut appearance Wednesday at Big 12 Conference Media Days.
"This ain't new to me; I'm not new to this. Like we say in the 'hood, I'm true to this," Coach Prime told reporters inside Allegiant Stadium. "So, this is new to some of you all and you want us to change.
"We're not going to change. We're going to try to do things being smart, tough, fast, disciplined with character. That's what we're relaying to all of our young men."
While Sanders said he and his program would not change their approach, he revealed he does believe he's measured through a different lens.
"I'm judged on a different scale," Coach Prime said.
"My wins are totally different than your wins. Your wins, you're just judging football. That's why I have to start out and give you education and academics and so forth. I hhave to give you those things so you understand there's a greater scope.
"I can't win nine games and our GPA suffers. Our GPA can't be high but we lose another eight games. We can't not go and grab high school players and you got a bunch guys that are in the Portal, out of the Portal, that's getting incarcerated."
Sanders said his Colorado program's approach -- what others have termed "brash" -- prompted the altered evaluation -- but one that Sanders welcomed.
"My wins are different. We have to win in every area; that's the way we're judged," he said. "I'm cool with that. Because we come a little different, so that expectation is greater. But it's not just football. It's been like that all my life. I've always had a greater expectation for myself.
"So the expectation you have for me would never outweigh the expectation I have for myself."
Sanders, his candor as much a part of his program's profile as his signature "We Comin' hoodies and sunglasses, took issue with one particular narrative about the Buffaloes: he disagreed with the notion that Colorado has only shopped in the NCAA Transfer Portal to rebuild its roster.
"To you all that say we only go in the Portal: We signed 17 high school players last year and 13 played," Coach Prime said. "When we signed a kid out of high school, the expectancy is for him to play. All you kids in high school right now, when we sign you, we want you to play. Seventeed kids, 13 played.
"We played a total of 20 freshmen last season, including seven walk-ons. So, if you're a freshman and you walk on, you have an opportunity to play. Academically, 2024, second highest GPA for the football team ever, 2023, highest GPA for the football team ever. That's A.P. That means After Prime."