Deion Sanders: 'This ain't no Black thing, this ain't no white thing, this is a we thing'

The eyes of the college football world are on Colorado this weekend, and Deion Sanders is a big reason why.

Sanders has turned around the Buffaloes program in less than a year. After Colorado finished 1-11 in 2022, the Buffaloes have already topped their win total from last season and are 2-0 entering Saturday’s showdown with Colorado State.

ESPN First Take was in town on Friday, and College GameDay and Big Noon Kickoff will broadcast live from Boulder on Saturday.

Coach Prime was asked by Stephen A. Smith on First Take Friday morning: “Have you taken into account how you have altered the standard when you consider this Black man — doing what he’s doing on the collegiate level — we know the history of college football when it comes to hiring African American coaches. We know what the challenge is. … Have you thought about the kind of impact and the kind of doors you’ve opened for others.”

Deion Sanders replied that he has not and that he sees it as his job to unite and bring people together.

“I don’t, because I don’t have time to think about that. I have time to focus on kicking down the doors and blowing the doors up so we can all come in. I don’t care what ethnicity. I mean, so we can all come in and unite,” Deion Sanders said.

“Look around at this, man. This ain’t no Black thing, this ain’t no white thing, this is a we thing. That’s what this is, and that’s what I’ve been called to Boulder to do. To make it a ‘we’ thing.”

Colorado played its first home game of the Coach Prime era this past weekend, and it plays another one on Saturday against Colorado State. Deion Sanders told First Take that he wanted to be out there for the pregame festivities prior to the opener, but he wasn’t able to. However, once he ran onto the field, he made sure to soak everything in.

“When I walked out there and I saw… I missed the whole intro and I wanted to see our buffalo run out there. I wanted to see all that. And I didn’t get to see all of that when we came out,” Sanders said. “But I looked in the stands and it wasn’t a white crowd or a Black crowd. It was a Buffalo crowd. That’s what it was.”

The 2-0 Buffaloes will travel to Oregon next Saturday for what is shaping up to be a top 20 battle, if they can take care of business against Colorado State on Saturday.