Deion Sanders and the fall of Camelot

“We’re going to consistently do what we do, because I’m here and ain’t going nowhere.” — Deion Sanders following Colorado’s upset victory over TCU on Sept. 2, 2023

Earlier this week, Deion Sanders told the assembled media at his weekly news conference that the fan base at Colorado deserves much better.

Colorado is 3-6. The record includes a 53-7 loss to Utah and a humiliating 52-17 home loss to Arizona in consecutive weeks. In the first half of its last two games, Colorado has been outscored 81-7. The 1-11 team he inherited in 2023 was bad, but in the past decade Colorado has only lost consecutive games by five touchdowns twice — once in that miserable 1-11 season and this season.

“We have the best fan base in college football — supportive, loving, caring,” he said. “They deserve so much more than what we’re giving them right now. I don’t want to be the apologetic type of guy, but we’re not playing good football right now. They deserve more. They deserve the hope that we gave them over the last couple of seasons that we were going to improve. They deserve more. We’re underachieving for them.”

I interpreted Sanders’ comments as an official signal that the Camelot era at Colorado, which began with Prime’s arrival in December 2022, was officially over.

Everyone was drawn to Camelot in Boulder. I certainly was.

Coach Prime was the king of Camelot. His son, star quarterback Shedeur Sanders, was its prince, and Travis Hunter was the duke. The force of Prime’s personality compelled Boulder to become the high-profile epicenter of college football. Suites were sold out, attendance soared, celebrities patrolled the sidelines. Folsom Field was the place to be.

Now, he feels obliged to apologize to fans and, in a classic signature of a losing program, Sanders is “protecting” players from the media. After the blowout loss to Arizona, Colorado players were not made available to reporters.

Asked why, Prime — sounding like the paternalistic dictator of Camelot — explained:

“I have a fatherly spirit, and I have an overseer spirit,” he said. “I’m trying to shield my guys from certain things that may harm them. I know the temperature of the room. I know if they can’t handle this at this time. Certain guys can, certain guys can’t. I can’t differentiate those guys and tell you, ‘You can talk to him, but you can’t talk to him.’ I don’t want to do that.

“My job is to protect them and put an umbrella around them until I feel like they’re ready for the attacks and assaults. So that’s protector, guardian, and a father.”

Boulder is not the first place where Prime created Camelot. He created a similar environment at Jackson State when he arrived in September 2020. In two seasons at Jackson State, Coach Prime brought unprecedented attention to the university, to the conference, and the universe of Black football. When Hunter signed with Jackson State, he became the highest ranked five-star recruit to sign with an HBCU program, prompting Sanders to hold out hope that other five stars would choose an HBCU.

That, of course, never materialized. After the 2022 season, Prime announced that he was leaving Jackson State for Colorado and was taking Shedeur and Hunter with him.

When Sanders took over, Colorado was coming off a 1-11 season and had not had a winning season since 2016. Sanders introduced a cultural shift in Boulder, using the transfer portal to instantly remake his roster and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) money to attract star recruits. He promised Colorado fans hope, spectacle and renewal.

He delivered in his first two seasons, from that upset win over TCU to the follow-up victory at home against Nebraska, then the overtime win against Colorado State. Camelot in Boulder was a story too good to be ignored.

The 2023-24 season was Camelot at its idyllic best. Colorado finished 9-4 and played in the Alamo Bowl, where the Buffaloes lost to BYU 36-14. Hunter won the Heisman Trophy, and Shedeur was predicted to be one of the first quarterbacks drafted — maybe the first.

Hunter was the first-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jaguars general manager James Gladstone gushed: “There are players who have the capacity to alter a game. There are players who have the capacity to alter the trajectory of a team. There are very few players who have the capacity to alter the trajectory of the sport. Travis, while he has a lot to still learn, in our eyes has the potential to do just that.”

Everyone was caught up in the rapture. The reality outside Camelot has been sobering.

Shedeur was not drafted until the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns and has spent the regular season on the bench, first as the third-string quarterback and now second behind fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.

Hunter, so far, has not been transformational. He is not the best corner on defense and not the best wide receiver on offense. He suffered a non-contact knee injury and currently is on injured reserve.

As for Prime, it wasn’t difficult to predict what might happen in Colorado when the prince and the duke left Boulder. He has faced a succession of health issues off the field and talent issues on the field.

Colorado’s 3-6 record reflects the reality of rebuilding in the era of Name, Image and Likeness and a reminder that the transfer portal works both ways: Players come in, but players also leave.

“Remember Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,” said former Colorado professor Dr. Wilbert Miles. “And then it says, ‘All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.’ Resilience is so difficult.”

Beginning in 1980, Dr. Miles spent 10 years at Colorado as a part-time professor of psychology and Black studies. He also consulted with the football team under Coach Bill McCartney. He has paid close attention to Sanders since he arrived on campus.

“Deion has made a lot of money for CU, but the fall could be very painful,” he said. “Deion has a lot of stress on him.”

What is the path going forward for Coach Prime? Can he build a program, or will he continue to try to win the portal?

Under his watch, Colorado has not been overly active in high school recruiting, choosing to rely on the transfer portal to quickly transform the program. He typically does not hit the road to recruit high school prospects. Not surprisingly, Colorado reportedly has the 67th-ranked high school recruiting class in 2026.

Ironically, Colorado is fighting to keep its top prospect from the 2025 class — freshman quarterback Julian Lewis — from leaving the program. On Wednesday, Sanders announced that Lewis will start on Saturday against West Virginia.

In Boulder, Sanders has made Colorado a relevant football program again, restoring feelings of confidence and possibility. The program remains compelling. Colorado has averaged 51,656 fans per game through six games this season. During a similar stretch last season, they averaged 52,514.

Sanders will not be fired — he has something to the order of a $33 million buyout. The decision to stay may be less influenced by football issues than by health realities, but he has made it clear during press conferences that he is not pleased with the season.

“We’re not happy with 3-6,” he told reporters this week. “You think I’m excited sitting up here like right now? I’m not excited. I got to answer these types of questions.”

The upset victory over TCU to begin the Prime era seems like it took place five seasons ago, although in reality it’s only been a couple of years. I remember Sanders’ postgame comments as if he made them yesterday.

He said he had receipts and was calling out reporters who doubted him: “Do you believe?” he shouted. “Do you believe? What we accomplished out there today, ain’t none of y’all believed that. I’m a winner. We’re going to end up winning. Ain’t none of y’all thought you was going to be sitting up here. You were supposed to be on the other side, interviewing them, coming, and asking me, ’What happened? You said this and you said that.’

“Now what?” he continued. “Now what? Everybody’s quiet now.”

It didn’t matter that Colorado eventually finished 4-8. That was three more wins than the previous season, three less losses and, for the media, a lot more fun to cover.

But Camelot in Boulder is over.

Colorado achieved success last season with a sensational player in Hunter and with a quarterback, Shedeur, who Coach Prime had been coaching since middle school. Those huge chunks are missing.

Can Coach Prime find that magical quarterback to lead the program? Can he win the portal and attract quality talent to Boulder? Will the university commit resources to the NIL wars?

Sanders assured reporters that he is not losing his belief that a turnaround is coming. When a reporter asked Sanders whether his self-confidence was wavering, the head coach bristled.

“Me, I don’t doubt me,” he said. “Let’s get that straight. I don’t doubt me. The confidence level of me doing this job? I’m built for this. I don’t doubt me.”

His comments suggest that he is committed to Colorado for the long haul, health notwithstanding. He seems committed to finishing what he began.

What does success look like? Perhaps putting together back-to-back winning seasons would be seen as a success. Maybe not the success of the 1990s when Colorado won a national championship, but it would create consistent stabilizing success.

But make no mistake about this: That delightful period of Camelot when Prime was king, Shedeur was prince, and Travis was duke, is over.

Camelot in Boulder has vanished. What’s left is a hard rebuild.

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