Deion Sanders responds to story about his unique recruiting style: 'I'm Coach Prime'

Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders on Wednesday responded to a USA TODAY Sports story last week that documented his highly unusual recruiting style of not making a single home visit or off-campus contact with recruits since his hiring in Boulder in early December 2022.

“Coach Prime” brought it up at the end of his first news conference in Boulder since his team finished 4-8 in his first season on the job. He didn’t dispute the story, which detailed another way Sanders has approached his job differently than others in the changing game of college football. But he did explain why he does it that way and instead relies on recruits and their families coming to campus to see him instead of him going to see them at their homes as well.

USA TODAY Sports attempted to get his explanation of it nearly a week before publication but didn't hear back from the university. On Wednesday, he gave a short speech about it that he said he wanted to get “off my chest.”

“There was an article that came out that said I don’t go on visits,” Sanders said at a news conference about spring football practice. “OK, my approach is totally different than many coaches’ approach. I’m a businessman as well, so I try to save our university money every darn chance I get.”

Why does Deion Sanders not recruit on the road?

By contrast, many other coaches bring recruits to campus while also going on the road to their high schools or homes. Former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh made 145 off-campus contacts with recruits or their families since Dec. 1, 2022. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian made 128 and former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly made 55 during that time, according to records obtained by USA TODAY Sports from public-records requests.

The University of Colorado confirmed Sanders hasn't made any recruiting visits since his hiring.

“The parents, I love ‘em, and I want to show them Boulder," he said. “I want them to see this and how beautiful it is and why I’m so eager and how much I love this city and this state and this team. I want them to see that, because guess what? That’s why the kid is comin.’

"The kid comin’ here. Going there is just showcasing for me. That’s just blowing money. It’s blowing a bag, don’t make sense. I can’t do things other coaches can do. You know why? I’m Coach Prime. And I didn’t stutter when I said it.”

Why he doesn't use his $200,000 travel budget

The university previously confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that Sanders and his staff have not used a private air-travel service for recruiting despite the fact that the university budgeted $200,000 annually for it in his employment contract.

Sanders, 56, suggested that one reason he hasn’t used it is that his fame would cause too much of a stir at a recruit's home or school. He also noted he has relied heavily on recruiting transfer players out of the transfer portal instead of high school players. As the previous USA TODAY Sports story noted, transfer recruits are older players who have moved out of home and don’t necessarily need to be wooed by a home visit from another prospective coach.

“We target mostly guys that’s in the portal,” he said. “When do you make visits to portal guys’ homes? Anybody do that? Do they do that? Anybody? Have you guys heard of that?”

It does happen, though likely not as often as with high school recruits. Earlier this year, Ohio State coaches went to see Alabama safety Caleb Downs before he transferred to Ohio State, among other examples.

What are his results in recruiting?

Either way, his approach works for him, according to several metrics. His class of transfer recruits last year ranked No. 1 in the nation. His recruiting class for 2024 ranks No. 22 overall, including only seven high school recruits, according to 247Sports.

“I think when a guy is in his 20s and he has one or two more shots, he don’t give a darn about the picture," Sanders said. "He don’t give a darn about the parade that you want to take him on. He wants to know, 'OK, how you want to use me? How can you help me get to the league (NFL)? And what am I gotta get paid?’ That’s it. That’s the world we live in now. And I have never heard one guy say, 'I chose this college because this coach came by my crib.’ Have you? It’s different now.”

The fame factor for Deion Sanders

His fame as a Pro Football Hall of Famer and celebrity pitchman sets him apart from other coaches on the recruiting trail, allowing him to become known to more potential recruits while also making it harder to travel in certain respects.

“Let’s just say I’m going to Florida and I’m visiting whatever school, IMG (Academy),” Sanders said. “You don’t think the coaches are gonna be a little upset if I don’t come by the school down the street? You don’t think it’s gonna be pandemonium? … Or I’m gonna get naysayed if I don’t go another 45 minutes? Then if I go to that one then (they) go, 'Why didn’t I come to that school?’ Now the coach is mad so he’s not gonna let the kid come because he’s mad because I chose to go to that school over that school.

“Other coaches, they can do that, but I can’t,” he said. “I can’t. And I’ve really almost done a personal survey. I really, truly in all my heart believe that parents don’t want me at that house. They want to come see my house. They want to see how I live, how I get down. They want to see what I’ve got going on, what God has done in my life.”

Deion Sanders didn't want a home visit as a player

Sanders recalled his own recruitment as a player in the 1980s before he landed at Florida State under head coach Bobby Bowden.

"I know when I was in college, I did not want Bobby Bowden in my house, because I knew after 7 o'clock, it was gonna be rats and roaches on parade, doing their thang," he said with a laugh. "That was just straight … honestly, I didn’t. So that never transpired. That never happened for me."

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: [email protected]