Deion Sanders Revealed a Key Part of His Coaching Strategy in a 2003 Story

During his playing career, Deion Sanders knew how to steal the show and take over a highlight reel. Now, he's prowling the sidelines as "Coach Prime," but the Colorado bench boss is still more than capable of making headlines.

While there have been some big-time ups and downs on the field, Sanders is certainly a marquee attraction. His willingness to speak up and show personality has thrust both him and his Buffaloes into the spotlight.

But did you know that Neon Deion could have started his coaching career quite a bit earlier? And that he would have started out at the top of the football pyramid?

Well, roughly 20 years later, he's still using some of the principles he laid out while trying to score an NFL job.

Sanders Tried to Coach the Falcons in 2003

While all professional athletes have to possess a high level of confidence, Primetime took things to the next level. If playing both football and baseball wasn't enough, he also thought he was more than capable of coaching his old NFL team.

As ESPN's Len Pasquarelli documented in 2003, Sanders saw the Atlanta Falcons struggling and publicly told owner Arthur Blank that he wanted the job.

"I can make them a better team, and I know that, because I know the things that really need to be done there," said Sanders. "I put so much time into preparing every week for my Sunday job [as a studio analyst on The NFL Today for CBS], watching tape and talking to players and coaches, that I still live football. It's still a big part of me. I talk to head coaches and assistants, guys with whom I'm close, every week. I know what the job involves, believe me, and I know I can do it."

But he didn't stop there.

"I guess my message to Mr. Blank would be two words: 'Call me,'" Sanders added. "I think it would work. Look, every man wants a challenge, right? Well, I've given this a lot of thought. This isn't just some spur-of-the-moment thing. It's not something crazy that I just suddenly dreamed up. It isn't a joke. It's the challenge I want."

At that point, the former cornerback hadn't coached at any level. His sideline experience was limited to a day of assisting the Dallas Cowboys' defensive backs during training camp in 2002.

Despite that lack of experience, he believed that he understood an essential part of the job.

"The key is that guys have to want to play for you. You have to have some element of your makeup where players will go all-out for you. And, hey, I know that I have that. As a player, I was always a motivator, on and off the field," Sanders said. "When I was back there as a punt returner, those 10 other guys on that return unit knew that if they just gave me any kind of opening, I was gone. When I played cornerback, I would tell guys, 'Hey, even if we don't have a pass rush, we've got to take the ball away.' And I'd go out and [get] an interception.

"I know guys will relate to me. I talk the language. I just know what makes guys tick. [As for] personnel, hey, let me watch a guy even on tape, and I'll tell you if he's a player or not. I've got an eye for it."

Sanders Certainly Holds an Appeal, Even Today

Based on the incredible confidence of his statements—he also told Pasquarelli that he wasn't interested in being an assistant because of the long hours and inability to make a difference—it's easy to view Sanders' comments as humorous.

With the benefit of hindsight, though, things sound quite a bit better.

Sanders started coaching at the high school level in 2012, taking charge of the team at his Prime Prep Academy. He also spent time at Triple A Academy and Texas Christian High School. In 2020, Neon Deion took another step forward, signing on as Jackson State's bench boss. After three seasons, one of which was abbreviated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he stepped up again, joining Colorado.

While he's admittedly working at the NCAA level and not in the NFL, Coach Prime does appear to have a knack for speaking players' language. Bringing Travis Hunter to Jackson State, for example, was an unprecedented recruiting coup.

At Colorado, Sanders has only kept on going. As laid out by ESPN's Tom VanHaaren, recruits have met The Rock and Lil' Wayne thanks to their new coach, but they've been also been struck by Neon Deion's ability to make everyone feel special.

"Deion could go host the Grammy's or he can come sit in your backyard at a family barbecue," Omar Stoutmire, the father of 2023 Colorado signee Carter Stoutmire, told ESPN. "You'd be shocked at how down to earth he is, he's like a chameleon."

Add some of the former NFL star's famous flash into the mix—he's not afraid to talk trash or hand out sunglasses in a hybrid gift-trolling situation—and it's easy to see how he's been able to make an impact on the recruiting trail and within the transfer portal. Players are people, too, and it's appealing to work for someone who has your back.

Again, it's fair to ask questions. Is Colorado more hat than cowboy? Would Sanders' personal touch work with multi-millionaires rather than college athletes? Will the hype around Coach Prime and, in turn, his recruiting success, die down?

Right now, though, it's impossible to look away. And if publicity is a part of getting talented athletes to sign on the dotted line, Sanders is certainly succeeding.