Paul Finebaum explains why Florida could target Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders is the hottest coach in college football — and while he’s looking to build something in Colorado in the near future, a big-time SEC football head coaching gig could be in his future if he and his Buffs continues to set the nation on fire.
According to SEC analyst Paul Finebaum, Sanders would be a perfect fit at Florida if the Billy Napier era doesn’t work out.
“You’ve got a brand new president there in former Sen. Ben Sasse who is a forward-thinking guy who would look at Deion [Sanders] and go, ‘I like this.’ I think he could consider this the ticket,” Finebaum said on an appearance on The Audible with Stew & Bruce. “It is considered as one of the premier public universities in the country. They just finished No. 1 in a poll and I think Deion fits their make up very well.
“The fact that he played at Florida State makes it even more intriguing and more enticing for Deion. How do you not be attracted by that fertile recruiting ground down there?”
We’ve all seen what Sanders can do to a program in a few short months. Whether this success stays remains to be seen, but the excitement bringing in someone of Sanders’ stature would rival the Tim Tebow era in terms of fanfare and national expectations.
When Florida had similar hype surrounding its program after Week 1 of last year, they got humbled by Will Levis and Kentucky inside The Swamp and never returned to the same form for the remainder of the season.
After an embarrassing 24-11 loss to Utah, the Gators bounced back with a 49-7 over McNeese State before hosting No. 11 Tennessee this Saturday. It serves as a perfect opportunity to get back on track — but could also be the nail in the coffin of Florida’s season already.
“Saturday night is going to tell his tale,” Finebaum said of Napier. “If Florida looks bad against Tennessee, I don’t know how you hold the bottom there because the schedule really starts to do them with Kentucky in Lexington, South Carolina in Columbia and then Georgia [at home], LSU on the road and Florida State at the end of the year.
“Tell me where Billy Napier turns if he gets hammered on Saturday night by Josh Heupel.”
Florida has a brutal SEC schedule this season. Sprinkle in sneaky matchups at home against Arkansas and on the road at Missouri in mid-November — and all of the sudden the Gators could end up fighting for their lives just to make a bowl game.
That won’t cut it for Coach Prime. Sanders expects his program to be at the top, and that same standard was set in Gainesville years ago. Finebaum wouldn’t say it’s a perfect marriage, but some would say it’s pretty close.