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12 hours ago
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Deion Sanders has the Colorado Buffaloes off to a 2-0 start in the 2026 season. A stark improvement from last year with a 3-9 record. Like every year prior, Sanders and his staff have dealt with another roster turnover. Colorado has 45 new players on this year's team, which is the second-most in the Sanders era.
What does the future hold for Coach Prime in Boulder? For starters, does he intend on staying for the long haul? These are all valid questions, and even more so now. Regardless of where Sanders might land if there is a next stop in his coaching career, don't expect the "Prime Effect" at Florida State.
While many believe having Sanders back in Tallahassee would give the program a much-needed boost, Coach Prime might have a different story to tell. With FSU athletic director Michael Alford being fired and head coach Mike Norvell expected to be next, the Seminoles are likely going to be in the market for a new head football coach soon. However, the Hall of Famer who made his name at Florida State is out of consideration.
Here are four reasons why Sanders won't be replacing Norvell at FSU.
Deion Sanders' Colorado buyout isn't cheap
If Sanders moved on from Colorado, he would owe the University $10 million before Dec. 31, 2026. The liquidated damages total drops every year, but assuming Florida State fires Norvell and owes him $51 million, the extra expense is just that at this point.
The Seminoles aren't in any condition to lose money unless there is an outstanding candidate ready to make the jump. Not a knock on Sanders, but he's currently 18-21 over three-plus seasons in Boulder. Norvell is 39-35 at FSU with many better seasons to his name.
Deion Sanders was rejected for the FSU job before
Sanders wanted a shot at the FSU vacancy back in late 2019. This was right before his time at Jackson State, which makes the story more interesting. Sanders contacted his former defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews with a request.
He wanted to bring "Prime Time" back to Tallahassee. The bold plan would've had him replacing his coaching mentor, Willie Taggart, who had just been fired. However, FSU officials wanted no part of Sanders being the Seminoles coach.
Andrews got Sanders an interview and he hit a grand slam. At least two FSU officials said Coach Prime was the best candidate they interviewed. But none of that was good enough for then-Florida State athletic director David Coburn, who rebuked Sanders for not having a college degree. In a place Sanders helped build for future generations, he wasn't welcome.
Coburn pondered how they would "sell it to all our alumni." He hired Mike Norvell away from Memphis, where he’d won 30 games in his past three seasons.
Andrews gave Sanders the best advice of his career, saying go find a school to make him head coach. Jackson State and Colorado had no problem giving Sanders the experience. Going back to Florida State would be pointless.
Sanders often asks, "Do you believe?" It became a famous sound-bite after his first major win at TCU in 2023. Coach Prime stared down Ed Werder and asked the same question.
Why would Sanders go back to Florida State when they never believed in him?
Would any school give Deion Sanders autonomy like Colorado does?
When then Colorado athletic director Rick George hired Sanders in 2022, there was an understanding he would be taking over the program with very little oversight. Coach Prime has been able to lead without any of the typical day-to-day reporting many coaches around the country deal with.
Sanders came into the situation as the first Hall of Famer ever to take over a program and deserved the right to be left alone. Would other programs be willing to do the same? Just seven years ago, Florida State worried about how to sell Sanders' hire to the alumni base. Would witnessing the "Prime Effect" from afar change that?
Would Deion Sanders take a pay cut to go elsewhere?
This is a major one. Sanders is one of the highest-paid coaches in the nation at $10 million. In fact, he makes nearly twice as much at Colorado than Norvell does at Florida State ($5.6 million). Why would Coach Prime take a pay cut to go to FSU? The answer is he wouldn't.
If Sanders wasn't offered around what he's making now, it's a loss. Thus, why it would be hard to sell the dreams of Tallahassee to Sanders at this point. Even if he felt the relationship with his former school was at the point of reconciliation, losing almost $5 million would have to make sense. Sanders would dominate the Florida recruiting scene, but he's doing that now at Colorado. Once again, FSU would have to come up with a major proposal and make him athletic director and head coach. That's unlikely to happen.
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