Colorado's Deion Sanders Explains How Coaches Treat Him 'Different' While Recruiting

Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders says coaches treat him "a little different" when he speaks with potential recruits.

"What I mean by that is, say I go see this kid. What you think those other coaches gonna say to those kids? They treat me different. They come at me different," Sanders told On3's Phillip Dukes. "They gonna say, 'He went to see him, he ain't come to see you. He don't care about you.'

"They come at me different. My playing field ain't as level as everybody else. They treat me a little different, so I've got to be one step ahead of them."

Sanders is heading into his second year as Colorado's head coach. The Buffaloes' incoming transfer class, which 247Sports ranks No. 8 in the nation, is headlined by five-star offensive lineman Jordan Seaton.

247Sports gives Colorado's incoming class of 2024 a composite ranking of No. 81 in the nation, however.

Sanders' apparent focus on the transfer portal when building the Buffaloes' roster has previously been the subject of criticism. USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer previously reported that between December 2022 and March 2024, Sanders had made no off-campus recruiting visits to prospects' homes or high schools.

Sanders addressed Schrotenboer's report in March by saying that his approach to recruiting "is totally different than many coaches" and helps save Colorado money.

"For me to go, let's say I go to Florida and I'm visiting IMG, you don't think those coaches are going to be a little upset if I don't come by the school down the street?... Now the coach is mad, and he's not gonna let the kid come because I chose that school over that school," Sanders told reporters in March. "Other coaches, they can do that, but I can't."

Sanders again defended his high school recruiting practices during Big 12 media days this week, arguing that his willingness to give high school recruits playing time is what draws them to Boulder.

"To you all that say we only go into the portal, we signed 17 high school players last year and 13 played," Sanders said Wednesday (h/t On3's Griffin McVeigh.) "So, when we sign a kid out of high school, the expectancy is for him to play. All you kids in high school right now, when we sign you, we want you to play."

Sanders continued: "We played a total of 20 freshmen last year, including seven walk-ons. So if you a freshman and you a walk-on, you can play."

The Buffaloes struggled in the latter half of last season, ending the campaign with six straight losses. Sanders will hope that his new class of incoming transfers and recruits is strong enough to get Colorado to five wins for the first time since 2019.