Deion Sanders has a surprisingly soft spot for fishing! The Buffs head coach often turns his Sundays into fishing tournaments. 

This week’s crew was a mixed bag: his pastor friend Dewey Smith, analyst Carl Reed Jr., and Keith Ross. Coach Prime seems to have had a blast reeling in fish with his close companions. However, the situation became more lighthearted when Dewey Smith, Sanders’ spiritual advisor, revealed some crucial information on social media. 

Smith posted pictures of his catches with a playful jab at Deion. “BUFFS FAMILY,” he wrote, “Our coach REFUSES to play fair!!! Although @DeionSanders catches EVERYTHING, I did ok for my 1st time in a while….. smh! I was killing those bass!!!!!! lol It’s gonna be a GREAT season!!!!!!” It seems there were no hard feelings, though. Both Deion and Smith snagged some impressive catches. Smith even jokingly conceded defeat on Instagram, saying Deion “won the 1st quarter…. BARELY! Lolol.” It turned into a friendly competition amongst friends.

The optimistic Deion Sanders capped off the day with a positive IG post. “Great 1st half of Catching today,” he wrote. “I’m Catching my Butt off and I have another Half to go after a good lunch & a nap.” He even playfully acknowledged his friends’ competitive spirit, appreciating their “passion to beat him.” There again, the playful banter continued in the comments. Smith, not giving up without a fight, jokingly blamed Deion’s home turf advantage. Coach Reed joined the fun, adding, “lol truth about the truth!” 

These friends enjoy good-natured ribbing, making their fishing trip even more enjoyable. While Deion seems to be on a winning streak lately, it wasn’t always sunshine. He’s had his fair share of fishing mishaps in the past. 

Deion Sanders’ fishing exploits in July

On July 19, Deion Sanders went fishing with Omar Stoutmire, dad of Buffaloes safety Carter Stoutmire. Omar played safety alongside Deion back in the ’90s for the Cowboys! Deion playfully compared himself to Goliath and Omar to David, the underdog. But looks can be deceiving — after lunch, Deion found himself down by 5 fish and had to make a serious comeback to win by 4. This win was even sweeter after a big loss to his star player, Travis Hunter, the week before. 

Now, Deion loves some friendly fishing challenges with his players, and this time, Travis emerged victorious with a 10-3 win on Deion’s own turf, Lake Prime. It seems like the student outsmarted the teacher. Travis even posted a victory video while Deion stayed quiet this time. And a few days before that, Deion went fishing with the Buffs graduate assistant and had his own bragging rights. He caught a “bomb” — a massive combo of bluegill and a peacock bass. But Deion’s moment of glory was short-lived. He soon credited his friend, Warren Sapp, with snagging his dream catch, the elusive peacock bass! 

Looks like Deion might need to choose his fishing companions more wisely next time. His competitive spirit is being tested by his close circle, who all turn out to be friendly fishing threats!