Football fever runs high as the team’s apparel store is raided by fans trying to get their hands on the $74.99 black and white Coach Prime hoodies. With this kind of madness, who needs Black Friday? Coach Prime, a.k.a Deion Sanders, has been the main attraction, bringing the team from being an afterthought to a main contender overnight. Meanwhile, Tim Brewster, the tight ends coach, is outside overseeing a family on a recruiting trip. The father is already wearing his Coach Prime hoodie, eager to show off the team’s colors and style.
Free posters advertising the Black and Gold game pile up on a stand. Coach Prime, flanked by defensive coordinator Charles Kelly and offensive coordinator Sean Lewis, occupy the center accompanied by two players who have never played for the Colorado team. Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are the fresh faces of the program. Hunter, the top recruit of 2022, rocked the college football world by signing for HBCU Jackson State instead of Florida State.
With his son by his side, Coach Prime wants to revitalize the college’s football program, which was the worst in the previous season. He’s done a fantastic job. The Spring game has sold out, and season tickets have sold out for the first time since 1996. Tickets for this type of event are usually free; however, 45,000 fans are willing to pay $10 each to be a part of Saturday’s game. Crazy, right?
The Colorado buffaloes gather on the Folsom Field for the game. The weather is chilly and features wet April snow, which means stadium staff is trying hard to remove the more than three inches of snow. In these conditions, fans apply various strategies for keeping warm while waiting for the game, from spreading blankets to staying active while wrapped in blankets. It’s so cold that, on any other day, Ralphie, the live buffalo mascot, would have run in pregame. This time, Ralphie has to stay put.
Coach Prime is responsible for bringing 70 recruits for the weekend, including Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, who have never played in snow before. Hunter worried about the national spotlight on this occasion, as ESPN was covering the game. “They’re showing snow in spring. That’s not good,” says Coach Prime. Sanders adds, “It’s supposed to be 50 tomorrow—that’s the thing that upsets me—53 tomorrow.”
In the end, the game starts, and the fans go wild. Shedeur Sanders, the face of the program, starts the game in fine style, throwing passes while struggling to come to grips with the snowy weather. Coach Prime’s position of choice throughout the scrimmage is behind the defense, being a former Hall of Fame cornerback. He’s comfortable watching the play from about 30 yards downfield.
The special teams need more work as they suffered a blocked extra point on the opening kickoff returned for a score and a blocked field goal in the second half. Colorado’s roster is also in flux, with more than a dozen players leaving the team since the portal opened a week ago. This uncertainty makes it hard to predict how much better Colorado will be in Sanders’ first season.
At the day’s end, Sanders gathers his team at midfield to pray before signing autographs for fans. As he leaves, one of his fans holds a sign with the team’s unofficial slogan, reading “We’re coming.” With the sellout crowds at the spring game, it’s looking more and more like they’re headed in the right direction.
Serious News: nytimes
