Deion Sanders Explains How A Boombox Led Him To Realize The Amount Of Change He Needed To Implement At Colorado

Deion Sanders took over a Colorado program that won just one game last season. It was such a big deal that the Buffaloes didn't lose every single game all season, that the student stormed the field.

Sanders knew that a complete overhaul was in order upon arrival in Boulder. He made it abundantly clear that there was going to be a lot of change in his very first meeting with the players.

It was not until after that meeting, however, that Sanders realized what he was really getting into by taking the Colorado job.

A boombox put Deion Sanders' new reality in perspective.

Coach Prime recently spoke with Joel Klatt about a myriad of topics. His stance on NIL and collectives was a large focus of the conversation, but it covered a lot of ground — including the outlook-changing boombox.

After Sanders finished addressing the entire team with his now-famous 'Louis Vuitton' speech, players broke out into position groups. It allowed their new head coach to meet with them in a more personal setting. It also allowed him to gain a better understanding of the team that he was inheriting.

And then came the boombox.

I walked into this position room, and they have music playing … their first time meeting me.

He was told by his new players that they always bring a boombox into their position meeting. Coach Prime couldn't believe it, and let them hear it.

I said, 'Have you lost your mind? If you ever bring music into one of my meetings, I promise you we will never see each other again in life.'
That’s the kind of junk that was going on, and I get rid of that and you’ve got a problem? They had no idea what was going on in this mess with that type of foolishness, after I just got finished challenging you as young men, telling you this room right here will not be the room we go to Fort Worth with.
I promise you that. It’s going to be a lot of changes. It’s up to you to be one of those changes, and you gave it to me. You put it on a tee.

Coach Prime is leading change at Colorado.

A program that was completely irrelevant just seven months ago is set to play in FOX's Big Noon Kickoff game in Week 1. That's because of Sanders, who has come to expect the amount of coverage and outside noise that immediately surrounded the Buffaloes upon his arrival.

I’m not surprised because it’s always been that way, even when I started out in sports I’m used to that. I'm accustomed to adversity. I'm accustomed to having ridicule and disbelief."

Part of that noise surrounded his Louis Vuitton luggage comments. They rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way, but Coach Prime doesn't care.

I'm honest to a fault. I'm gonna say what I feel and I'm gonna feel what I say.

Sanders plans to seize every opportunity at Colorado and will always be unapologetically himself. Even if that means setting expectations that nobody else sees in the same way.

Coach Prime would not be satisfied by a four or five win season. That's not how he thinks.

I don't want a sip. I want it all. And I want it now. And I feel like we're assembling the type of young men and the staff to have it all.

The new era of Buffaloes football is already underway but their first test will come on Sept. 2 against the reigning national runners-up TCU Horned Frogs. Klatt will be on the call alongside Gus Johnson and it is the first opportunity for Sanders and his new program to make a statement. Sans boombox.

Deion Sanders' full interview with Joel Klatt can be viewed here: