Deion Sanders praised by former SEC Coach of the Year

Ahead of this weekend’s Big 12 meeting between Colorado and Central Florida, Knights head coach Gus Malzahn spoke glowingly about Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders.

“What I admire about him is that he does it his way. This is a deal where you look at college football as entertainment, and the juice and attention he brings to our league, I think is really good. He does it his way, and I’m an old high school coach, so I do it my way; I’m a little bit different, too. He has his team playing well, and he’s doing a good job.”

Malzahn is in his fourth season as UCF’s head coach, and before that, he spent eight years as the head coach at Auburn from 2013 to 2020.

During the 2013 season with the Tigers, he was named the SEC Coach of the Year and the AP College Football Coach of the Year after helping lead the school to a 12-2 record and an appearance in the National Championship Game.

This season, he’s got the Knights off to a 3-0 start and a No. 16 ranking in ESPN’s most recent College Football Power Index. UCF will be looking to remain undefeated when it hosts Sanders and Colorado on Saturday, who improved their record to 3-1 last week with a 38-31 overtime win over Baylor.

As for Malzahn’s compliments about Sanders, they’re significant because there have already been plenty of moments this year where the Buffaloes head coach has been criticized by the local and national media for the approach that he takes with his job.

Despite Colorado only finishing last season with a 4-8 record, Sanders still views his program as one of the best in the country. As a former NFL star, the Buffaloes head coach also gets a lot of attention from the media and fans, and that doesn’t always sit well with the more traditional college football fans who don’t believe a school that won only four games in 2023 should be covered like a top-five program.

So, for someone like Malzahn, who has been a respected college football coach for more than a decade, to come out and share why he likes what Sanders has done for the sport and for Colorado, people should take note.

Yes, Sanders and the Buffaloes are getting a ton of attention, whether they deserve it or not. But the school also hired the Pro Football Hall of Famer to do more than just help turnaround a struggling football program. Colorado also knew his arrival would generate a ton of interest for the school as a whole.

During Sanders’ first season at Colorado in 2023, the team’s six home games had an economic impact of more than $110 million, according to BoulderColoradoUSA.com. To accomplish this with a school that only won four games last year is incredible.

Malzahn knows the job of a college football coach goes beyond just getting your team to score more points than your opponent. College football programs have the potential to transform an entire city, and when it comes to Sanders at Colorado, that’s exactly what he’s been able to do so far.