Typically, teams finishing the previous season on a 6-game losing streak are void of much media coverage or fuss. But the Sanders family name resonates with anything but typical. Deion Sanders’ eccentric persona, a pair of projected NFL superstars and a fresh approach to CFB make for a mad concoction. The result is one of the most watched and revered programs in the country. Speaking of media coverage, the tales of Deion Sanders’ escapades with the Colorado Buffaloes have been caught on film in the aptly named “Coach Prime” docuseries on…Prime. The series affords us a deep dive into Deion’s psyche as a person and coach. One particular instance brings to light his proactivity. No wonder this guy is one of the greatest defensive backs ever, averting trouble before it transpires.

Florida is a hotbed for athletic talent. Some of the greatest players in NFL history, including the likes of Ray Lewis, Warren Sapp, Derrick Henry, and Deion Sanders himself hail from the area. Unfortunately, it’s also a hotbed for calamitous storms and hurricanes. Weather in the Sunshine State can get really gloomy real often. It’s subject to more wrath from Poseidon and the weather gods than any US state. Being a Florida native, Prime is all too familiar. He used his know-how to great effect on one particular instance.

During Colorado’s 2024 season, the team was poised for a game against the UCF Knights in Orlando on September 29th. This coincided with Hurricane Helene, a category 4 that caused mass devastation in the area. With the game on a Saturday, teams would usually make the journey on a day or at best 2 in advance. However, Deion Sanders knew that was a risk given the uncertain nature of whether they’d even be in a position to travel. As a result, he changed his team’s travel schedule on a dime. A risk, which can potentially throw off preparation for the game itself. But a risk he believed was requisite.

During S3E3 of the aforementioned docuseries, Deion Sanders was asked, “You guys are obviously leaving Wednesday because of the storm. How much does that affect your players and when you have to leave early and adjust your plan?” during the pre-game presser? “The storm is supposed to hit Thursday. We don’t want to take that chance. If the storm hits Thursday, now we can’t get there till Friday evening. Now it’s a rush. So we’re trying to get ahead of the curve and be smart with it,” he said in reply. Astute management and shrewd decision-making. Things they’ll tell you aren’t in Coach Prime’s wheelhouse. But getting out there early is one thing. It still didn’t mean they’d avoid the storm altogether.

“You’ve got the hurricane coming in now. It’s not going to be a direct hit in Orlando, but it’s going to be part of the equation,” warned CU’s iconic broadcaster Mark Johnson later in the episode. “Rain [and] wind. When you’re talking about a team that throws the football in Colorado, that can always become a factor in this game. Mother Nature is going to have something to say about what happens between the Buffaloes and the Knights.” So did Johnson’s rationale hold true? Colorado were 15-point underdogs headed to UCF. Safe to assume they needed the ideal conditions for Shedeur Sanders to air it.

Weather concerns threw a spanner in the works for Deion Sanders’ homecoming

Colorado went into this Week 5 game with much more subdued hype than the very beginning of the year. They’d just been taken to overtime by Baylor. A 28-10 blow-out loss to Nebraska where Dylan Raiola announced himself to this stage was still fresh. On the other hand, UCF had put up 35 or more points in each of their games so far. They were unbeaten, and their average margin of victory was a whopping 29 points. This felt like a bit of a David vs Goliath clash if the backdrop was a storm. And it played out just how that one did.

Colorado announced they meant business as they mauled UCF 48-21. From being 15-point dogs to winning outright by 27. That 42-point win over Vegas and the skeptics changed the perception of the program. In terms of what Mark Johnson hinted at, the weather didn’t deter arguably the best QB in the sport. Shedeur Sanders, now a projected top 3 draft pick, threw for 290 yards and 3 TDs. Orlando managed to avoid the brunt of Hurricane Helene, and the game was relatively void of much weather delay. However, Deion wasn’t to know that.

Better safe than sorry. As dry and cliche as that sounds, it just is true after all. In hindsight, that decision to prepone travel helped in more than one way. Not only did it get CU ahead of a disaster that could have rendered the game in doubt. It allowed players to get acclimatized to the humid conditions down south. Coming from Boulder, Colorado that is a factor. In the end, things worked out well on the gridiron. But it’s important to keep in perspective the stuff Florida went through. Hurricane Helene caused about 230 casualties and north of $78 billion in rebuilding costs. Hope the people found respite in the backwash of this calamity.