If there were an award for picking the best gems out of the recruits, it would surely go to Deion Sanders. After a hope-shattering 4–8 season, Deion Sanders and Co. were ready to surpass each obstacle to redeem themselves. Good for them, a 6’1, 180-pound D-Line beast is joining their growing army. CB Ben Bouzi has kept the zeal that new recruits bring with them alive from the first day he stepped foot on the Folsom training ground.

Touted as a likely replacement for the star CFB Buff Travis Hunter, Bouzi has a lot of expectations to fulfill. Once Travis Hunter leaves for the NFL, his shoes will be the toughest to fill for Deion Sanders and Co. Yet, the prospect that has freshly joined Coach Prime and Co. at Boulder looks like a promising start to that journey. His agile sprints and slippery tackles on his first day in practice have already made him a standout.

After all, it isn’t every day that Deion Sanders praises a just-in recruit, calling him ‘one kid’. When Bouzi was recruited, Deion Sanders had one proud thing to say to him. “I pick one kid from the city, the 239, Naples, Florida, or Fort Myers area, and you’re my one kid.”

The CB has already settled in Boulder right from his first day, and once again, it is proven that Deion Sanders has added another gem to their roster. The CB deserved it well, especially after he impressed a hard-to-impress Coach Prime so smoothly.

How did Ben Bouzi impress Deion Sanders?

One answer was all that was there for Bouzi to either lose his hard-earned spot in Colorado or mark the beginning of something big. It was a three-way phone call with Deion Sanders and Corey Phillips, director of player personnel at Colorado. It was the last test of Bouzi’s process of getting into Boulder. “Why should I give you this opportunity?” was the question that made the Napels native stop and think for a good minute.

However, his following words were exactly what Deion Sanders wanted to hear. The CB did not string together his best physical attributes and used some fancy football jargon to decorate it. No, rather, he replied with a touching analogy. “I told him (Sanders) I’ve been going up this hill and I’m headed to the top of it, but right as I reach the top, I run into the side of it and go right back down,” Bouzi said.

Deion Sanders’ answer was exactly what anyone would expect him to say to any of his potential recruits. “He’s like, ‘I’m glad you said that because sometimes we just need that extra little push for us to get over that hill.’ He said, ‘This is why I’m here’.” Bouzi finished with a proud smile. Another successful treasure hunt (or should we say recruit hunt!) of Deion Sanders, where he found a gem in the end!