In college football, NIL came to play in 2021, which is more than three decades after Deion Sanders finished his college in Florida State. Given a 'what if' scenario, the high-spirited Coach Prime said he would have been “trouble” as an NIL athlete, and he knows it.

In a conversation with the hosts of All The Smoke podcast on May 16, the Colorado Buffaloes head coach laughed off the idea of being a recruit in this era of college football. 

“I don't even know who to even compare me to, what I would be like. Oh my goodness. Jesus. God, I would need help,” Sanders told Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. “Because, all the access, the internet, and all. Oh, Lord Jesus. And the money.”

This is not the first time Coach Prime talked about the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) system. On May 11, Athlon Sports shared the circumstances under which Sanders signed his Colorado head coach extension. 

“I tried to hurry up and sign the deal,” Sanders said via Well Off Media. “First off, I wanted to get my coaches straight and NIL stuff straight because that stuff is crazy right now.”

Apart from that, Sanders’ presumptions about himself as a college athlete with NIL are not far-fetched when looking at his playing heyday.

The Atlanta Falcons drafted “Prime Time” Sanders, the fifth player overall, fresh out of Florida State in 1989. In his four-year college career, he returned 126 punts for 1,429 yards. He led the nation in punt returns with 503 yards. 

The 58-year-old, however, felt that he was underpaid and never shied away from stating that throughout his career.

Now that Sanders has pivoted to coaching the Colorado Buffaloes in a football landscape different from his days, he has a few suggestions on the growing influence of NIL on the collegiate level.

‘Some Kind Of Cap:’ Deion Sanders Gets Honest About NIL

On May 11, Athlon Sports shared Deion Sanders’ honest feelings on Name, Image, and Likeness. 

“Now it's pay-per-view with these kids,” he said about his contract extension with the Buffs and NIL, per Well Off Media. “Because I didn't want it to affect my other kids. You know, like those pros thinking I want their jobs and would treat my kids unfairly. So I didn't want that to happen. That's kind of why I signed expeditiously.”

The $20.5 million figure was originally intended to serve as an upper cap, but it has instead become a starting point. Earlier, Sanders suggested that the decision-makers on the collegiate level should introduce NFL-like regulations.

“There should be some kind of cap," Sanders said in a 2025 interview with USA Today’s Jarrett Bell. "Our game should emulate the NFL game in every aspect. Rules. Regulations. Whatever the NFL rules, the college rules should be the same.”

As college programs are busy with securing players for the 2027 class, Sanders stands firm on his opinion. What are your thoughts on his stance? Tell us in the comments!

Read more at Michigan Football Community.

Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar