By Scott Salomon
After signing only five high school recruits and compiling the 96th ranked freshman class in the United States, Deion Sanders blames opposing coaches for poaching his committed recruits and kids for not honoring their word.
This is the same Deion Sanders who literally stole Travis Hunter from Mike Norvell and Florida State University two years ago and did the same to Mario Cristobal and the University of Miami last cycle with cornerback Cormani McClain. Both players were verbally committed to their respective universities until Prime swooped in on Early Signing Day and convinced them not to sign, but to follow Prime instead.
They both did and left FSU and Miami with an empty chair on Early Signing Day. Now, the same thing is happening to Prime and he does not like it.
Top prep offensive lineman Jordan Seaton was supposed to sign with the Buffaloes on Wednesday, but instead appears to be headed for Oregon or Maryland. Recruiting “experts” online expect Seaton to take a big bag from Oregon and flip in the not too distant future. He has not flipped yet, but he also never put pen to paper for Prime.
“I didn’t want to go somewhere and just be another guy,” Seaton said on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “I wanted to make history and start from the ground up.”
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Well, that was three days ago. Now it looks like he is history. Coach has lost players this cycle and next cycle and he is not happy about it. Prime has zero commits for the 2025 class.
“You know what I wish the NCAA would do honestly…..if you committed somewhere you can’t go on no other visits,” Coach Prime said. “I wish that would be like, if you committed, that means you are committed. Can’t go on no other visits.“
I think #CoachPrime got this wrong. What he MEANT to say is “HE was gonna see a few surprises” ( #DanLanning steals 2 recruits from him on ESD) https://t.co/Z3ZCwnptk6
— FINGERZ_75 (@rickgoodman613) December 20, 2023
While I agree with Prime, and believe in the sanctity of your word being your bond, I find it hypocritical that the master flipper in the last two cycles wants an NCAA policy in place to protect coaches from the very same activity that he himself has done to other schools. When you are a verbal commit, your recruiting should be shut down and you should not go on trips to see other schools, unless you decommit prior to the visit.
See the post below from December 2021 when Prime was at Jackson State.
If JSU coach Deion Sanders flips No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter, JSU fans ain't gonna be surprised.
This isn't the first time Sanders has gone big-game hunting.
He flipped No. 1 JUCO CB De'Jahn Warren from Georgia on the first day of the Early Signing Period last year.
— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) December 15, 2021
“Why would you be committed, but you still let kids go to other places?” Prime asked rhetorically. “That don’t make sense.“
That is also like asking Prime why he left Jackson State to grab the big bag in Boulder when he already had a job and a contract. If coaches can pull up stakes and change their minds about a program, a high school senior should be able to do the same thing.
It looks like Prime is going to have to stick to the transfer portal to get his offensive line rebuilt so that his son Shedeur Sanders can stay upright.
Colorado has added Houston’s starting left guard Tyler Johnson, UTEP’s starting left guard Justin Mayers, UConn starting’s center Yakiri Walker and Indiana’s starting right tackle Kahlil Benson. Prime did not sign one high school lineman during the Early Signing Period.
Last season, Prime offered the world to transfer portal candidates and grabbed over 60 players from the portal.
This season, things are different as he has a total of 16 players signed from the portal and they are nowhere near the quality group that Prime was looking for. Prime will retool his offensive line with retreads as opposed to freshmen that he and his staff can coach and develop.
“We’re not an ATM,” Sanders said. “That’s not gonna happen here,” Sanders said during a press conference last month. “If you come to Colorado to play football for me and the Colorado Buffaloes, it’s because you really want to play football and receive a wonderful education. You’re not coming here to get rich unless you’re really coming here with a plan to go to the NFL and get your degree. Not to come here and be Moneybagg Yo. That’s a rapper, right?”
Prime’s recruiting tactics have been called into question on this site and throughout the state of Colorado.
Cherry Creek High School head coach Dave Logan sent a worrying message about who he’s to contact from the Buffs with Tim Brewster and Bill O’Boyle ousted from their positions in Boulder.
“Our two primary contact guys (for local coaches) who were at (CU) were (ex-Buffs tight ends coach) Tim Brewster and (ex-CU offensive line coach) Bill O’Boyle,” Logan prefaced before saying, ““And both those guys are gone. Who is (our contact) now that the two guys that recruited (the state of Colorado) are both gone? I guess my answer would be, it remains to be seen. I’m sure (Sanders) is still filling out his staff and I would have to think we’ll get to know an assistant coach or two in the near future.
“But, you know, it’s concerning to me. And I would hope that, while they have a national game plan in place, as far as recruiting, I’m most anxious to see what they do locally.”
