BOULDER, Colo. – As Deion Sanders weaved his way through a crowd of fans, workers, visitors, recruits, celebrities and a sea of cameras, the faces whizzed in the reflection of his gold-lensed sunglasses on a mild summer evening at Folsom Field. It is one hour before kickoff against North Dakota State, and it’s clear “Coach Prime” is not just a superstar; he is the center of Colorado’s universe — the cosmic axis that celebrities and Hall of Famers, his guests and close friends — orbit on the sidelines.
This isn’t just game day in Boulder. It’s a cultural event. Only here can Hall of Famers like Terrell Owens and pro wrestling legend Bill Goldberg be relegated to onlookers — and left alone by fans — as they lean on the walls of Folsom Field, watching their friend lead the Buffaloes on the field before a Thursday night opener against North Dakota State.
“There’s always chatter around him,” Colorado athletic director Rick George told CBS Sports as he watched the pregame scene unfold. “We know who he is. We know what he represents. We know the kind of guy he is. We know his culture and I support what he’s doing. I support where we’re going and I think we’re going to see the fruits of that labor this year.”
Despite a 4-8 debut season in 2023, the “Prime Effect” is still rolling in Colorado. The bombastic personalities of Coach Prime, his superstar son Shedeur Sanders and two-way player Travis Hunter have brought out the best and worst among fans and critics on social media.
Colorado’s 31-26 win over North Dakota State last week drew 4.8 million viewers on average — the best Thursday opener for ESPN since 2017 — while facing stiff competition from CNN’s exclusive interview with presidential nominee Kamala Harris at the same time (6.3 million).
“That lets you know our fan base is real, and whether you like it or not, you want to see it,” Sanders said this week. “I’m thankful for it.”
The game was a showcase for Shedeur Sanders and Hunter, the receiver/cornerback who dazzled with several jaw-dropping catches while playing a superhuman 129 snaps. The offense was electric and Sanders was on point, burning the FCS stalwart with 445 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Hunter was the MVP with 132 yards and three scores on seven catches.
“They’re gonna be a hell of a lot better than they were last year,” said Goldberg, whose son, Gage, is a freshman walk-on linebacker at Colorado. “I think they’re gonna shut a lot of people up. They’re gonna surprise a lot of people. But at the end of the day, if you don’t win every game, then you’ve fallen short. In Deion’s eyes, if they do better than last year, that doesn’t matter. He wants to win it all. They’re in a hell of a lot better place than they were last year.”
“We all learned a lot in that first offseason,” George said. “He knew exactly what he needed to do and where he wanted to go with it, and he’s been executing on that.”
A cultural phenomenon
In a world where wins and losses measure tenures, Sanders’ impact has been much more significant off the field. Season tickets are sold out for the second straight season, and school applications among new students have jumped nearly 20% — including a dramatic 50.5% increase in Black applicants.
in 2023 Colorado drew an average of 7.2 million viewers and five contests ranked within the 25 most-watched college football games. It’s a classic case of cultural consumption, a movement that transcends a niche and bleeds into America’s zeitgeist. From Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce to Coach Prime, it’s never been more prevalent in sports.
In college football, they call it “The Flutie Effect.” In 1984, when nationally-televised college football games were rare, Flutie’s last-second Hail Mary to beat Miami dramatically increased freshman applications at Boston College.
Twenty-five years later, Alabama experienced substantial year-over-year growth during the 17-year tenure of Nick Saban. He not only won six national titles, but enrollment increased 51% and the school’s physical footprint doubled with the construction of new academic buildings and dormitories.
The university went national, leading to a transformative growth of out-of-state enrollment, who comprise 58.3% of the student population. The school’s endowment tripled to $1 billion, and it was named the fastest-growing flagship university in the country in 2016 by The Chronicle of Higher Education.
“Nick Saban’s the best financial investment this university has ever made,” former Alabama president and chancellor Dr. Robert Whitt told CBS’ “60 Minutes” in 2023. “We have made an investment that’s been returned many fold.”
The Prime economy
The “Prime Effect” windfall isn’t just affecting the Colorado campus. It has spilled over to the surrounding city of Boulder, Colorado.
“Coach Prime’s impact in Boulder has been nothing short of transformative,” said Charlene Hoffman, CEO of Visit Boulder.
Colorado’s six 2023 home games generated an economic impact of $113.2 million, according to a study by Tourism Economics. Colorado drew an average of 7.2 million viewers on television, and five of its games ranked in the 25 most-watched college football contests last season. Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff visited Colorado three times. ESPN’s College GameDay was there, too. Revenue generated by Colorado’s multimedia rights jumped 51% in Sanders’ first year, according to Sportico and Sanders was Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year.
Sanders’ arrival has transformed business practices on University Hill, the party spot for students and fans adjacent to campus. The Lab, a bar and eatery, hosted a launch event for Coach Prime’s new sunglasses line from Blenders Eyewear last week. The bar was retooled from a late-night waffle eatery after receiving approval from the city to serve alcohol until 1 a.m. on weekends this summer. Since then, the business had to hire more bouncers to keep up with the foot traffic.
Now a thriving social hub, University Hill has changed drastically since Sanders’ arrival.
“Game days were a sad day (before Sanders’ tenure),” said Ashley Bott, co-owner of The Lab. “It wasn’t as exciting. The energy wasn’t anywhere near where the energy is now. It’s super busy but they’re easier days because people are just happy. They’re having drinks. They’re ready to go to the game. They’re selling out games. It’s a totally different energy and vibe from the pre-Prime days.”
Next to The Lab sits The Boulder Store, a former office space was transformed into a small shop for Buffaloes merchandise in April 2023.
“We have people that come in from out of town that have nothing to do with CU, but they just like coach Prime. We met USC fans who flew in for the game,” said Michelle Pendegrass, owner of The Boulder Store.
Walk down one more storefront and you arrive at The Sink, situated in its longtime location at the corner of 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. The 100-year-old bar has fed President Barack Obama. Celebrity chefs Anthony Bourdain and Guy Fieri both filmed shows here. Actor Robert Redford was a janitor in the early mornings when he was on baseball scholarship at CU in 1955. More recently, five-star quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis was served a “JuJu Burger” during a recruiting visit this summer to entice him to choose the Buffs.
On a Thursday afternoon, North Dakota State and Colorado fans filled the bar, where fans etch their names on the low, ink-stained ceilings. The at-capacity scene will be repeat this Saturday, even with Colorado on the road at Nebraska.
“We never had anybody coming in for an away games to celebrate, and now we have people coming in on away games just to be close to CU. It’s electric,” said Tell Jones, co-owner of The Sink. “He’s reenergized everything about it.”
How long will the Prime honeymoon last?
Despite the local financial windfall, the unspoken question in the back of everyone’s minds lingers: how long will the “Prime Effect” last? Colorado didn’t sell out its season opener, a first under coach Prime, though 49,438 fans still showed up for the weeknight game against an FCS team. Eventually, those fans will undoubtedly want more wins. It’s a natural expectation. Honeymoons only last so long before positive results are expected, even from Coach Prime’s closest friends and former NFL teammates.
Even as most benefit from the influx of attention, The Prime Era has provided challenges for all in Boulder. He stripped the program to its bones for the second straight offseason, adding 50 new players — including 39 transfers. Sanders has picked his battles, too. He recently banned Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler from asking questions. Keeler authored several scathing columns that included descriptors for Sanders like “false prophet” and “Minister of B.S”. Sanders explained to ESPN’s Mark Jones last week that he “felt the reporter in question questioned and attacked his faith.”
“You’re going to have people stand by Deion no matter what,” said Jones, who watched Colorado win a national title in 1990 and then later fall into the depths of the sport with a one-win season under Karl Dorrell. “But if they go on a losing streak, we’ll see. It could be big things, especially if he sticks around.”
Despite an influx Power Four transfers meant to bolster the Colorado trenches, many of last season’s problems stretched into the 2024 opener. The offensive line struggled to open running lanes (2.6 yards per carry) and Shedeur Sanders was forced to complete several NFL-type throws under immense pressure. On the other side of the ball, the defense gave up 14.6 yards per pass completion.
Those on-field issues will certainly need to be addressed by Sanders and his staff as the schedule gets tougher. That uptick in opponent quality starts this week with a road date at Nebraska, where two former conference rivals meet for one of the biggest games of Week 2. The game features one of the year’s most intriguing quarterback matchups as Nebraska’s freshman phenom Dylan Raiola goes against likely future NFL first-rounder Shedeur Sanders.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule recognizes the opportunity that comes with sharing the Sanders spotlight. He is hoping to use it as springboard for its own program.
“It’s great for the game,” Rhule said. “It’s great for us. It’s great for our university. People all across the country are going to tune in this week to see this football game, and they’ll see our fan base. They’ll see the class with which we play. They’ll see two great teams compete. They’ll see our campus. We have enough games like this and applications start to go up and admissions start to go up. Good things start to happen. I watched the game this week, and it’s happened at Colorado.”
A win Saturday at Nebraska certainly would provide a proof of concept for Sanders, who made it a point to grab a mic after the win last week to reiterate a message to 99-year-old superfan “Miss Peggy” inside the stadium.
“Miss Peggy, I love you,” he said. “One step closer to getting you to a bowl game!”
Later, Prime strolled into a meeting room to face more than 50 reporters and guests.
“We wanted to win decisively, and if we wouldn’t have given up the last touchdown, it would have looked better, but we’re not for looks, man. ‘W’ or ‘L.’ That’s what you remember. You all can pick it apart all you want, but you’re here for the ‘W’ or ‘L.’ Some of you are upset that we got the ‘W’ and really mad that we didn’t get the ‘L.’ So God bless y’all. You have to wait again until next week.”
Sanders is right. There are plenty of people rooting for him. And nearly just as many against him. Either way, you can bet they’ll all be watching on Saturday against Nebraska.
