LAS VEGAS — Colorado head coach Deion Sanders wasn’t scheduled to speak at Big 12 Media Days until Wednesday, but his name came up less than an hour into the event.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark was speaking to the media during a short walk-off session after his main press conference and was asked about Sanders and about his potential impact. He also drew an interesting comparison between himself and the second-year Colorado coach.
“I would look at him kind of like me — we’re both a little disruptive I guess — in a positive way,” Yormark said. “And we like to break boundaries in a positive way. We like to stir the pot a little bit and that’s healthy and I think college athletics needs it.”
Sanders will speak to the media first on Wednesday, the second day of media days at Allegiant Stadium. While the Buffs only went 4-8 last year, Sanders has generated tremendous interest for the program, which fell on hard times in its final few seasons in the Pac-12.
His first year at Colorado was so jolting, in spite of missing a bowl game, that Sports Illustrated named Sanders its Sportsperson of the Year last December.
Given that Yormark wants the Big 12 to live at the “nexus of sports and entertainment,” a statement he has made many times previously, Sanders would appear to be a great fit for the conference.
But he also tried not to play favorites.
“We have 16 great football coaches,” Yormark said. “I’ve gotten to know Coach Prime really well. I love his energy and I love his passion for what he does. We’re obviously excited for Colorado to come back to the conference. He’s a football legend. And, let’s face it, there’s a big audience that follows him and that’s going to benefit the Big 12 and all of our schools. So we embrace Coach Prime no different than we would embrace all of our coaches and everything they bring to the conference.”
Colorado is returning to the Big 12 after spending more than 10 years in the Pac-12. The Buffs were a founding member of the Big 12 in 1996 and, before that, were members of the Big Eight Conference.
The Buffs are the first program that left the Big 12 to return to the league and join Arizona, Arizona State and Utah as the former Pac-12 schools that will give the conference 16 members in 2024-25.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
