'We are not preparing these kids': Why we're witnessing the beginning of the end for Deion Sanders at Colorado (Part 5)

Editor's note: This is part five of a six-part series entitled "Why we're witnessing the beginning of the end for Deion Sanders at Colorado. Here are preceding parts one, two, three and four.

Following the embarrassing loss to Texas Tech, Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders said two things that would be surprising to any program. “I’m upset we are not preparing these kids." That’s almost more of an admission of guilt than a statement about any game. That’s the job, in a nutshell. A coach’s job is to prepare the players for the next opponent. Leading some to wonder, did Sanders just throw his coaches under the bus?

Any preparation failure falls at the feet of the coaches. All the coaches, from coordinator to quality control coach, are the responsibility of the head coach. When people asked if Prime was ready for the jump to Power Four, very little of that question was about wins and losses.

The second quote in question is more alarming. When asked about Julian Lewis’ QB3 status on the depth chart, Sanders refused to answer. Simply claiming that he did not demote Lewis to QB3 and if we (media) want more of an explanation, we should ask Lewis. Who was not scheduled to speak with the media that day? There should be no question asked where Sanders needs to defer to a 19-year-old redshirt freshman.

Prime likes to embrace the idea of haters and pretend that the landscape is him vs the world, but it didn’t need to be that way. Sanders viewed his own local media as the enemy before he ever got started. The hater thing was disingenuous from the beginning.

From the day he was announced as the Buffs head coach, Sanders acted as if there was an army of haters always at the gates. Which falls flat when any observer can see droves of supporters from all over the country. Are there detractors? Yes, but there is also no reality where any coach will have 100% support from everyone. Most of them are too busy rooting for their own teams to bend the knee to Prime.

Even in this NIL world we are currently living in, Sanders was offered significant assistance. Reportedly, an unnamed wealthy donor offered financial assistance to grow the program to be competitive with other big spending programs. That assistance was rebuffed by the coach, allegedly for one reason that is also concerning. The donor in question was not willing to write a blank check without any assurances or input. It’s a truly mind-blowing stance to reject hundreds of millions of dollars because you didn’t want any other cooks in the kitchen.

Check out the rest of the series with part six.

Shilo Sanders bankruptcy trial: Day 1 from inside the courtroom

Colorado football reportedly spending $20 million for 2026 roster

Tempers flare in Shilo Sanders bankruptcy trial: Day 2 

John Darjean takes the stand in Shilo Sanders' bankruptcy trial: Day 3