Colorado athletic director Rick George wants Deion Sanders to stay for the long haul.
After starting 4-1, the Buffaloes have already matched last year’s win total in Sanders’ first season as head coach. Colorado responded to a Week 2 loss to Nebraska with three straight victories over Colorado State, Baylor, and UCF.
Given his national notoriety, observers continue to question whether Sanders will use Colorado as a stepping stone to a more prominent job. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, George expressed his desire to keep the Hall of Famer around as long as possible.
“We hope that Coach Prime finishes his career here,” George said, via DNBR Buffs (h/t On3). “I think he can do significant things for us long term … I think Coach would sit here and tell you that he and I are on the same page about where we want this program to go. It’s not a short-term fix, and we want to set it up to be sustainable for the future.”
George lauded the “incredible” culture Sanders created in the Colorado football program.
“I see it on a daily basis with his student-athletes and his coaches, and like I said, I like where we’re at,” George continued. “We’ve got a lot to do still moving forward, and we’re on the same page.”
Colorado hasn’t notched more than five wins in a season since going 10-4 in 2015. Sanders is currently positioned to lead the Buffaloes to a bowl game, which they haven’t won in 20 years.
However, the Buffaloes must first avoid another late swoon. They followed last year’s seismic 3-0 start by losing eight of their final nine Big 12 games.
“We got a lot of work to do. We still got a long season ahead of us in football, but I like where we’re positioned today.” George said.
Colorado can prove this fast start isn’t another blip when hosting No. 18 Kansas State this Saturday night. ESPN will air the game at 10:15 p.m. ET.
Related: Deion Sanders Refused To Answer Question About Travis Hunter After Week 5