What will be Coach Prime's legacy? Why we're witnessing the beginning of the end in Colorado (Part 6)

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

The scary part of this entire evolution in four years comes down to legacy. Anyone can look up game results and stats, but how do you remember? Had 2026 started off well, and his vision was being executed, the legacy conversation could have looked very different. If he could win games with hungry and under-recruited players, he would have been heralded as a genius in some circles. The two bad years would have been counterbalanced.

If the Buffaloes continue their current 2026 trajectory, there is a title that many could start throwing at Sanders’ feet. Well-known sports author Jeff Pearlman addressed this in 2024, when times were good. Pearlman has authored books about the Lakers, the Kobe/ Shaq dynasty, Barry Bonds, Bo Jackson as well as a biography on Tupac Shakur. Two years ago, Pearlman forecasted the reality we are currently living in.

“He’s the guy who shows up and says a lot of s---. You say I’m bringing my luggage and it's Louis, but you can’t deliver it? Pearlman said. "What happens to charlatans is people love them for a while. The media ate Deion Sanders up, for a while. Then your act grows very old. Then you leave and people look back at your time there and think, what f--- happened?”

Coach Sanders told the media to write whatever they wanted following the Texas Tech loss. In large part to his refusal to address the issues with the team. Claiming we all know what the answer is. The concern is what he hesitated to say and expected us to say, is not the only issue. Do the Buffs have a quarterback problem? Yes. Believing that is the only issue plaguing this team is far from the entire story.

There are seven games remaining on the 2026 schedule. While there are seven more opportunities to turn this season around, the path to success is anything but assured. Colorado is currently ranked second to last in the Big 12. Three nationally ranked opponents remain and not one of their remaining opponents are in the bottom third of the standings.

If the Buffaloes cannot turn around this season, a very damning concept could apply. Promoting the Prime brand was more important than running a winning program. Sanders likes to say the way he does things makes others uncomfortable. Which could be true, if it works. If it doesn’t work, the approach was simply contrarian. Winning the old-fashioned way might be boring, but it works.

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Tempers flare in Shilo Sanders bankruptcy trial: Day 2 

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