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When Deion Sanders took over at Colorado in 2023, the program became the talk of college football in the NIL and transfer portal era. Coach Prime overhauled the roster through the portal, headlined by top names in Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.
As he navigated the ever-changing landscape, Sanders said he learned some lessons. The biggest, though, was to have “patience” and understand all aspects of the modern age.
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Sanders noted the importance of an adapt-or-die mindset as he gets ready for his fourth season as Colorado’s head coach. He reiterated he supports athletes earning money through NIL and it’s important to embrace the changes that have come along.
“It’s taught me tremendous patience,” Sanders said Tuesday at Big 12 Media Days. “It’s taught me that a lot of young men want to benefit from the game financially. A lot of young men want to benefit from the game because they love the game, and you’ve got to really understand there are two sides to this coin and make sure you flipping these kids on the right side because it’s a whole different game.
“Sometimes you can’t get stuck in the old ways. You got to go forward and welcome and invite some of the new-school ways and adapt to them.”
Deion Sanders: NIL has become ‘pay-per-view’
July 1 marked the five-year anniversary of NIL’s arrival in college athletics, and the space has changed dramatically during that time. Notably, 2026 is the second year of the revenue-share era as schools can directly share money with athletes. The rev-share cap jumped to $21.3 million on July 1, 2026.
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But earlier this offseason, Deion Sanders shared his assessment of how NIL is impacting college football. He said it’s currently about “pay-per-view” rather than athletes capitalizing on their name, image and likeness.
“When you start talking money in college, that kind of runs people off and runs people away because that’s not what the intention is,” Sanders told Front Office Sports. “The intention is to be filthy rich and keep that fire and the passion and the dawg in you until you reach the NFL.
“I do believe that college athletes should be compensated for their name, image and likeness, but it’s not about name, image and likeness right now. It’s just about pay-per-view. If it is what it is, then let it be it. Say what it is. Don’t hide from it.”
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