COLORADO COACH DEION SANDERS DECLINES TO ADDRESS HEALTH ISSUES AT BIG 12 MEDIA DAYS
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Deion Sanders declined to address any of his health issues when he took the podium at Big 12 football media days Wednesday after being away from Colorado.
“I’m not here to talk about my health,” said Sanders, who is going to his third season as the Buffaloes coach. “I’m here to talk about my team.”
Since overseeing Colorado’s spring game April 19, Sanders hadn’t attended football camps in Boulder. The school had said last month, amid reports that the coach was ill, that it could not say why he was absent from those camps. Sanders did not specifically answer any lingering questions.
“I’m looking good. I’m living lovely. God has truly blessed me,” he said. “Not a care in the world. Not a want or desire in the world.”
Sanders was the last of the league’s 16 coaches to take the podium on the main stage over two days at the headquarters of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, which is about 75 miles from a massive ranch the Pro Football Hall of Fame player has in Canton, Texas.
While commending the work of Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark in his opening remarks, Sanders said that Yormark called him daily to check to make sure he was getting better. There have also been a lot of calls from his fellow league coaches.
“I love them, they’ve been calling and checking on me, making sure I’m straight,” Sanders said.
This will be Sanders first season at Colorado without having one of his sons on the team. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was a fifth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in the NFL draft, and safety Shilo Sanders signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent.
Also gone is Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, the two-way standout who played for Sanders at Jackson State and Colorado and will now try to play both ways in the NFL with Jacksonville.
Sanders is 13-12 in his two seasons with the Buffaloes, who in their return to the Big 12 last season missed making the league championship game on a tiebreaker after being one of four teams to finish 7-2 in conference play.
He is under contract with the Buffaloes through the 2029 season after agreeing to a new $54 million, five-year deal this spring that made him the Big 12’s highest-paid coach. That replaced the final three years of the $29.5 million, five-year deal he got when he arrived from Jackson State.
DEION SANDERS SAYS CFB NEEDS SALARY CAP
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders believes college football should implement a salary cap to increase the sport’s competitiveness in its new era.
“I wish there was a cap,” Sanders said Wednesday at Big 12 media days, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. “The top-of-the-line player makes this, and if you’re not that type of guy, you know you’re not going to make that. That’s what the NFL does.
“The problem is, you got a guy that’s not that darn good, but he could go to another school, and they give him half a million dollars. You can’t compete with that. And it don’t make sense.”
Sanders backed his comments by noting that the schools spending more money on players will have more success in the College Football Playoff.
“You understand darn near why they’re in the playoffs,” he added. “It’s kind of hard to compete with somebody who’s giving $25 million to $30 million to a freshman class. It’s crazy.”
The landscape of college football has undergone significant changes with the introduction of the NIL deals in 2021 and the House v. NCAA settlement taking effect this year. While the settlement establishes a system that allows schools to share revenue and pay athletes directly within a cap, there is no cap limiting NIL deals, notes Sports Illustrated’s Tyler Lauletta.
MINNESOTA EXTENDS P.J. FLECK’S CONTRACT BY 1 YEAR THROUGH 2030 WITH RETENTION BONUS BUMP
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck agreed to a one-year contract extension through the 2030 season with an increase in retention bonuses that was approved by the university’s board of regents on Wednesday.
Fleck’s annual $6 million salary remains the same. The retention bonus provision added to his deal in an amendment last year after UCLA pursued him will pay Fleck $1 million for staying at Minnesota through the end of 2025. The annual sweetener increases to $1.2 million for 2026, $1.3 million for 2027, $1.4 million for 2028, $1.5 million for 2029 and $1.6 million for 2030, an additional $2.3 million from the previous amounts.
Including the retention bonus, Fleck is tied for 11th in coach compensation in the 18-team Big Ten. The Gophers are 58-39 in eight seasons under Fleck, including 6-0 in bowl games and 34-36 in Big Ten play. His overall winning percentage is third-best in program history among coaches with at least 45 games.
2025 COLLEGE FOOTBALL BREAKOUT PLAYERS
As we prepare for the upcoming college football season we want to take a look at several players who are looking to have a breakout season in 2025. Here are the top players to watch:
Oregon QB Dante Moore. Replacing former starters Bo Nix and Dillion Gabriel won’t be easy. The former 5-Star recruit had a red-shirt season in 2024 after passing for 1,610 yards and 11 touchdowns in “23”.
Washington QB Demond Williams. The Sun Bowl performance last season could be a preview of the 2025 campaign for Williams. Williams threw for 374 yards and four TD’s in that game. A full off-season at Washington will be a plus.
Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola. Raiola was inconsistent last season as a true freshman. Now the former 5-Star recruit has a full season under his belt. Getting more weapons around him will help.
Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons. Simmons will finally get his shot after spending time behind Jaxson Dart. His showing against Georgia last season may be what we expect.
Notre Dame WR Jaden Greathouse. Did you see what he did against Penn State and Ohio State in the CFP? Those kind of numbers can make him an All-American.
Clemson RB Gideon Davidson. Davidson is the front runner for the Tigers backfield. The consensus-top-five prospect amassed more than 7,000 yards in HS.
Tennessee WR Mike Matthews. When the Vols figure out their QB situation Matthews will flourish. Matthews is another 5-Star prospect with ample opportunities to make an impact.
Penn State TE Luke Reynolds. Filling the shoes of NFL draft pick Tyler Warren will be difficult to do. Reynolds is the #1 TE prospect from the class of 2024.
Colorado OL Jordan Seaton. Seaton is the heart-and-soul of the Buffaloes OL. In 13 starts last season Seaton allowed on 3 sacks.
Ohio State DL Eddrick Houston. Ohio State lost a bucket load of talent from the defensive line. Houston will ease the pain, especially if he lives up to his “spring game” potential.
Alabama DL LT Overton. Overton came ready to play for the Tide last season. He recorded 42 tackles and two sacks from the inside. He also registered 32 QB hurries.
Georgia S KJ Bolden. Bolden is ready to emerge as a star for the Bulldogs. He played in 14 games in “24” recording 59 tackles.
