Colorado's Deion Sanders Called Worst QB Evaluator Since John Elway

The Colorado Buffaloes have run out of excuses to make about why the football program is struggling. Deion Sanders is also running out of time to make it all work.

Four seasons into the Coach Prime experiment, the Buffaloes face a question that once seemed unthinkable. Is Sanders still the right person to lead the program, or has the time come for CU athletic director Fernando Lovo to cut his losses and start over?

Neither option is particularly appealing to the faithful in Boulder. But it's clear that both will cost millions of dollars in the process. After another disappointing start to the season with a 3-6 record, Colorado can no longer afford to pretend that everything is just one quarterback away from working. It's not and never has been for Sanders and his staff.

The numbers are difficult to ignore. If you take away Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, the Buffs look considerably less impressive. Shedeur, the coach's son, established himself as one of the most productive quarterbacks in school history, throwing for 7,364 yards and 64 touchdowns in 24 games as a starter at CU. Mostly because he was throwing at a record pace with a nonexistent rushing attack.

Hunter is the outlier in the situation. The only true five-star for Sanders, who nearly went elsewhere after Jackson State. He became a generational two-way talent and one of the most recognizable players in college football history. Together, they helped make Colorado relevant again.

Without Shedeur or Hunter, the Buffs have struggled to find an identity. Coach Prime's winning formula has lacked any type of substance. Colorado has cycled through quarterbacks, offensive coordinators and defensive coordinators without improvement.

The program's inability to develop a quarterback room has become a problem. Sanders has tried nearly everything. Group of 6 transfers, holdovers, highly touted high school recruits and Power Four transfers. None of them have provided the stability for Colorado. Also, former Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich was hired as a QB coach, but left without any warning.

Lovo with two options right now. Try to up the NIL game with more money for players. He could also cut ties with Sanders and start over. However, there is a significant problem here.

"Do you really trust Sanders to lock down that guy? After all that fishing, and so many dinkers? So far, Coach Prime looks like the worst QB evaluator in Colorado since John Elway hung up his stopwatch," Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler wrote recently.

Colorado's recent quarterback history adds little confidence for him to pick the next signal-caller. Being able to recruit a talented passer is one thing. Identifying the right fit, developing him and building an offense around his strengths are entirely different.

On the other hand, a separation from Sanders and his staff could cost Colorado approximately $28 million in a buyout. Money cannot be the only consideration here. The Buffs need a coach who can build a better culture in the future of college athletics. New Mexico's Jason Eck and James Madison's Billy Napier are two candidates who will be highly sought after.

Colorado once benefited from a similar approach when Sanders brought much of his Jackson State foundation to Boulder.

The basis for hype and attention has largely disappeared. Now the Buffs need to establish another one.

“It doesn’t look good,” Sanders told reporters last Saturday night after a 20-10 loss at Arizona State. “I’m not crazy. I can see clearly. You think I’m happy? I’m not happy with the outcome. I’m not a loser by any means. And I hate the fact that we’re coming up on the short end of these games.”

Sanders deserves credit for bringing national attention and unprecedented visibility to Colorado. He helped turn a struggling program into a national conversation almost overnight. That accomplishment should not be dismissed.

But the Prime Effect is not a real achievement in coaching.