Deion Sanders successfully held onto his position during the 2025 season, which saw several midseason firings. That does not come as much of a surprise since Coach Prime played a major role in making the Buffaloes relevant again, but whether he can maintain that security heading into 2026 remains a major question.
Will Deion Sanders Stay at Colorado? RJ Young Weighs In
In Sunday’s episode of the “Adapt & Respond” podcast, RJ Young discussed three college football coaches making $10 million annually who are facing different levels of pressure, including Sanders, Mike Norvell, and Bill Belichick.
Young said that Norvell may be under the most pressure after Florida State’s disappointing season, while offering his perspective on Sanders’ situation at Colorado.
“You could say 2025 not good, 2023 not great, but 2024, they won nine games, they finished tied for first place in the Big 12, they had a Heisman Trophy winner at wide receiver and defensive back, they had the Big 12 offense player of the year, and they watched two of their players get drafted in the first five rounds,” Young said. “You can make an argument that off of that, yes, give him the $10 million annual contract, and let this year be a mulligan; we’ll see what happens.”
Outside of the 9-4 finish and Alamo Bowl appearance in 2024, Colorado has struggled in Sanders’ other seasons, finishing 4-8 in 2023 and 3-9 in 2025. Coach Prime saw programs such as Texas Tech, Arizona State, Utah, and BYU consistently remain among the stronger teams in the conference. Brett McMurphy of On3 even predicted that Colorado would miss bowl eligibility during the 2026 season.
The 2026 season is now seen as a big test for Colorado, as the program tries to prove its breakout 2024 season was not just a one-year success story. However, Young does not believe Sanders is currently in danger of losing his job.
“I think that Mike Norvell is closer to being up out of there than Deion Sanders is closer to being up out of there,” Young said. “Patience is wearing thin in Florida State, because they thought about firing him last year, they just couldn’t get up the funds. And the way you need to get up the funds. I don’t think that’s on it for Colorado.
“I think they very much tied themselves to the Deion Sanders train, and Fernando Lovo, the new athletic director, said, ‘Look, I believe in him. We’re going to get it done.’ Going into this season, you got Brennan Marion calling plays, Juju Lewis, calling playing quarterback, Danny Scudero at wide receiver, new defense coordinator, new scheme, maybe good things (will) happen.”
Marion’s offensive system is built around creating space for playmakers, while Lewis is expected to benefit from the experience he gained last season. If the offense develops chemistry quickly, Colorado could become one of the more explosive units in the conference after earning only a C grade in PFSN’s College Football Offense Impact Metric last year.
