Urban Meyer on Deion Sanders' Potential at Colorado: 'I Think He's Going to Flip It'

Legendary college head coach Urban Meyer is optimistic about how Deion Sanders will fare in his first year at the helm with Colorado.

Meyer said Tuesday on the All Things Covered podcast that Sanders has already improved the perception of the program and should deliver results on the field as well.

"I think he's gonna flip it," he said at the 23:59 mark. "Nothing crazy the first year, but I'd say within the first couple of years, I'm seeing certainly a bowl game and a eight-, nine-win season."

Sanders silenced his skeptics by guiding Jackson State to a 27-6 record over three years. He also recruited at a high level, bringing blue-chip cornerback Travis Hunter to the Tigers in 2022.

Rebuilding Colorado presents the Hall of Famer with a far different challenge. The Buffaloes have been to two bowl games over the last 15 years, and they were the worst Power Five team in the country in 2022 after finishing 1-11.

But Sanders is laying the groundwork for what could be a big turnaround in 2023.

Colorado is 29th in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2023 recruiting class, up from 47th in 2022. Sanders has also brought his son, Shedeur, and Hunter with him from Jackson State. Kavosiey Smoke, Myles Slusher and Seydou Traore are among the other notable transfers making their way to Boulder.

The impact of Sanders' arrival is evident in Colorado's coaching staff as well. Former Kent State head coach Sean Lewis accepted a lesser position to become the Buffaloes' offensive coordinator.

Lewis went 24-31 during his five years at Kent State and took the Golden Flashes to two bowl games, doubling the program's number of total bowl appearances. He likely could've accepted a head coaching job elsewhere during this cycle or remained at Kent State to continue building up his stock for 2023.

Nobody expects Coach Prime to be a miracle worker. A winning record would be considered a major success for Colorado. That seems within reach for the Buffaloes based on what Sanders has done so far in terms of improving the roster.