Nick Saban: Deion Sanders 'Doing a Great Job,' Colorado Will Take 'Next Step' in 2024

Deion Sanders has earned the respect of legendary coach Nick Saban.

During an appearance on College GameDay, the former Alabama coach said that he thinks Sanders is handling the Colorado Buffaloes job well and that the team is poised to improve in 2024.

"I'm all for Coach Prime, man," Saban said. "He's doing a great job at Colorado. … I think they'll take the next step as a team this year."

Saban, arguably the greatest coach in the sport's history, compiled a 292-71-1 overall record in 28 seasons as a head coach and won seven national championships. One of those came with LSU in 2003 and the other six came with Alabama between 2009 and 2020.

He is the only coach to win a national title with two different FBS programs since the inception of the AP poll in 1936. His seven championships are the most ever for a FBS coach and he also coached four Heisman Trophy winners during his time with the Crimson Tide.

Sanders is entering his second season with Colorado and the job was always going to be a rebuild. The Buffaloes went 1-11 in 2022 and have not had a winning record in a full season since 2016.

Sanders led Colorado to an impressive 3-0 start in 2023, with wins over TCU and Nebraska. The Buffaloes proceeded to flounder and went 1-8 down the stretch to fall short of bowl eligibility.

As the team prepares to re-enter the Big 12, there is hope for improvement behind star quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way standout Travis Hunter.

Colorado opens the 2024 season on Aug. 29 against North Dakota State.