Another big win for Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes! The wait is almost over, as the IMG Academy cornerback, Major Preston, will likely land in Boulder. With this, Deion’s Colorado will beat Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss to gain Preston’s trust.

But what might be the reason behind the Buffaloes earning brownie points? Before you stress, Kevin Borba did the honors on the July 6 episode of his Locked on Buffs podcast. One hundred twenty-seven years of NFL experience? The Golden Jackets are enough to lay down the trust bricks. 

Deion Sanders has made some masterstrokes in recruiting. His primary focus has been creating the IMG pipeline now that the Buffs have already landed ex-IMG star Alex Graham. Deion seems to be on his way to hitting the jackpot for the second time as Borba brings forward bits and pieces of the conversation he had with Preston.

The analyst pointed out, “When he talked about Colorado he said with Colorado it’s a development. They have there every coach on the team played in the league for a good amount of years.” In that case, even though there are popular faces in Lane Kiffin’s coaching roster like Mike Williams and Joe Judge, they are yet to catch up with Deion’s Colorado. The combined number of years of experience is 127, and it’s not a simple task. However, in Buffaloes, Preston will be spoiled with choices. 

In one go, we can name 12 former NFL players who have made themselves top-shelf essentials of Deion’s coaching roster. The two standouts of the current tactic team are defensive coordinator Robert Livingston (2012-2023) and Pat Shurmur (1999-2021). 

Deion’s latest ace-up has been Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp. Recruited as a Colorado grad assistant, Sapp carries a legacy of 13 seasons in the NFL and boasts an impressive record of 96 ½ sacks. But who has been the prominent figure who urged Coach Prime to stack his coaching roster with NFL vets?

Saban’s shadow in Deion’s coaching roster

It’s none other than Nick Saban. On May 31, on Thee Pregame Show, 247 Sports’ Carl Reed and Uncle Neely explored the aspect of Deion following the coaching guru and Alabama ex-HC Saban for using the “Gold Jackets” in his roster. Reed confidently stated, “Coach really wants to have an NFL type of program. That’s his identity, and that’s what he resonates with.” It’s easy for any college football fan to highlight the similarities between the two legendary coaches.

According to the analyst, “He also has a great mentor…Coach Saban who built his staff in a very similar way. So if guys want to play in the National Football League, they have the tutelage of the guys who have been in that situation both as players and with the coaching experience.” 

Even though Deion refuses to follow Saban’s footsteps by going door-to-door for high school recruits, he blindly follows the ex-Alabama HC’s tactics to infuse rich NFL experience into the coaching lineup. The Buffs HC proudly boasts their 127 years of NFL legacy and employs it as bait to lure players, as these names are nothing but pure gold.