The face of the Colorado Buffaloes seems to be getting overshadowed by his protege! Deion Sanders is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Colorado program. ‘Prime Time’ has taken the team to whole new heights in just two seasons. With Coach Prime’s personality and the influence he brings to Colorado, he is considered one of the biggest figures in the NCAA. Yet, the names of Travis Hunter and Dawn Staley have one-upped him in the recent list released by Sports Illustrated. The team has had an iffy start to the season. Now, Deion is seeing yet another blow to his reputation as he fails to cut the SI Power List.

Sports Illustrated recently released its 2024 SI Power List, which includes 50 of the most influential figures in sports. The list was filled to the brim with notable personalities. Names like LeBron James, Carlos Alcaraz, Simon Biles, Caitlin Clark, and many others shone brightly within the list that included athletes worldwide. Interestingly enough, on the coaches’ front, Bob Bowman, Dan Hurley, Emma Hayes, and Dawn Staley all came out on top. However, the name of Deion Sanders is enclosed only in Travis Hunter’s brilliance.

Dawn Staley, the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team, was the only coach from the NCAA to be considered by Sports Illustrated. As the only other member from the NCAA on the list, Travis Hunter was commended for all his accolades.

As per a writer with the initials P.F., “Playing for Deion Sanders, college football’s most accomplished two-way player of the past 40 years, Hunter is out-Priming Coach Prime.” This seems to be SI’s subtle justification for snubbing Coach Prime from the list of the top 50 sporting personalities. It is ironic since he was their Sportsperson Of the Year in 2023.

SI’s stained relationship with Deion Sanders

When Sports Illustrated announced that Deion Sanders was their Sportsperson Of The Year in 2023, it was met with a lot of backlash. Despite the influence and attention he brought to Boulder with his debut, his standings in the league were downright horrendous. With nothing but a 4-8 record to talk about, Deion couldn’t really have his breakout season in 2023. Yet, he was awarded such a prestigious title over coaches like Jim Harbaugh and Mike Norvell. The latter two had exceptional teams with far better records.

The opening lines of their article on Deion said, “In less than a year, Coach Prime has not only transformed a moribund Colorado football program. He’s also breathed fresh life into the campus and transformed a community.” As such, it seemed like Deion was given the award for his effect and the hype he brought to the program. The magazine didn’t consider how he performed with the Buffaloes, which wasn’t well received by the fans. Now, it looks like SI has learned its lesson from all the outrage. While making this list, it made sure it strayed as far as possible from the Deion controversies.

If you’re interested in knowing more about college football and the current NIL landscape, do check out this ES Think Tank episode with Doug Sanders.