With their eyes on Coach Prime, the Colorado regents call a meeting

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) – With signs pointing to Deion Sanders becoming Colorado’s next coach, the school’s board of regents called a special meeting for Sunday.

Nothing official yet regarding Jackson State’s coach. The university also has not commented on any candidate to take over. But the scheduling of a regents meeting could be another sign that a coaching hire could be imminent.

As other schools have filled their head coaching vacancies in the past week, with national signing day and the opening of the transfer portal fast approaching, Colorado has waited until after championship weekend .

Sanders led Jackson State into the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game against Southern on Saturday. Heading into the game, he was 26-5 in three seasons.

Sanders said earlier this week that he received an offer from Colorado. He also said he had been contacted by other schools. But he deferred any decision on his future until after the season.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer has been at Jackson State, a historically black college that plays in the NCAA Championship Subdivision, since 2020.

Should he be hired, Colorado could be a big challenge for the 55-year-old Sanders, who inherits a program that has had a long streak of winning seasons since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.

The Buffaloes are coming off a 1-11 season in which Karl Dorrell was fired in October and interim coach Mike Sanford ended the season culminating in a 63-21 loss to No. 12 Utah in home

Hiring Sanders would bring instant name recognition and a track record of being able to recruit top talent. It has certainly energized the campus and community, with a fan at a recent Colorado basketball game holding a sign that read, “It’s Time 4 Prime.”

An All-American at Florida State, Sanders was a standout with five NFL teams, including the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, where he won a Super Bowl with each. He also played nine MLB seasons and reached the World Series with the Atlanta Braves in 1992.

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AP National Writer Ralph D. Russo and AP Sports Writer Gary B. Graves contributed to this report.

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