Before Deion Sanders took over the Buffs in 2023, the current Valor Christian HS head coach served as Colorado’s OC and eventual interim head coach during the difficult 2022 season. But Sanders’ arrival in Boulder completely overhauled the coaching staff. Although he had an interview with the former OC Mike Sanford Jr. for a spot on his coaching staff, the interview didn’t go in favor of Sanford.

During his Wednesday appearance on the Zero 2 Sixty Podcast with Matt McChesney, Sanford recalled the interview and revealed that Deion didn’t like his answer regarding offensive identity because his philosophy wouldn’t have aligned with Prime’s intent.

“Rick George, I think he requested that I had an opportunity to interview for a position on Coach Prime’s staff when he came in, so I did,” said Sanford. “I interviewed him, and it was like people asked me how it was, and I’m like, ‘It’s a great day, man.’ It was great, like he was; we got along great. I mean, he didn’t love one of my first answers about my offensive identity, and I did say this, and this is a fully true story.”

“I said, ‘I’ve never been around a conference championship with an offense that wasn’t completely committed to running the football,'” admitted the ex-Colorado OC candidate. “I did say that. ‘I don’t know if it was.’ He didn’t say anything. I think, from the interview, I lost the chance to be the offensive coordinator of the Buffs.”

Upon taking the Buffs’ job, Deion Sanders intended to clean house, replacing almost every coach from the 1-11 squad of 2022. So, Sanford’s offensive identity was not the sole reason he wasn’t retained. But even if the 2022 season had been successful, the former OC, who was promoted to interim HC after Karl Dorrell was fired following a 0-5 start that season, raised a question about Coach Prime’s offensive strategy.

Sanford emphasized a heavy commitment to the run game to secure championships. Conversely, the Buffs’ head coach’s offensive philosophy at Colorado leaned toward a pass-heavy, air raid approach. That’s why, to run the Buffs’ offense, Sanders convinced Sean Lewis. To take that opportunity, Lewis stepped down as head coach at Kent State.

“I’m not saying that he didn’t already have Sean Lewis. He didn’t say anything. But I did say it, and like, I called my wife afterward. ‘I go, Yeah, I’m not getting that job.’ She’s like, ‘Why?’ Because I love running the football…” added Sanford.

From 2007 to 2008, Sanford served as an offensive staff assistant at Stanford under Jim Harbaugh. During his time there, the rest of CFB was transitioning to wide-open spread offenses, while he stayed in a traditional pro-style look. He perfectly mirrored the Stanford style as Minnesota’s OC in 2021. The Gophers ran the ball, averaging a punishing 193.8 rushing YPG.

Then, when Sanford took over as Colorado’s interim head coach, his very first victory, a 20-13 upset over California, was a textbook “ground-and-pound” game. However, Deion Sanders’ offensive philosophy didn’t see much success in Boulder. Colorado ranked dead last in rushing YPG, averaging a miserable 68.9 yards on the ground during Coach Prime’s first year in 2023.

In 2024, the offense was entirely focused on his son, QB Shedeur Sanders. While the QB threw for a massive 4,134 yards, Colorado’s leading rusher, Isaiah Augustave, accumulated just 384 yards. But this season, Colorado hired Brennan Marion as OC to install his famous “Go-Go” offense, which is expected to increase the RBs’ roles.

It signals that Sanders may finally be trying to force the offensive balance that Sanford mentioned. Yet, choosing Lewis was fruitful for Colorado.

Deion Sanders’ decision to pass on Sanford cost Colorado

The 2023 OC situation became quite chaotic. The Buffs’ offense started the season incredibly hot with wins over Nebraska, TCU, and Colorado State under Sean Lewis. But as the season progressed, Colorado struggled mightily with O-line protection. Then, Deion Sanders made the controversial decision in November to strip Lewis of play-calling duties following a string of tough losses.

To take over the play-calling responsibilities for the final games of 2023, former NFL head coach Pat Shurmur, who was brought onto the staff as an offensive analyst, was elevated to co-OC. Following that season, Lewis left Boulder to become the new head coach at San Diego State. However, Colorado’s rushing offense didn’t find rhythm.

In 2024, it remained one of the least productive ground games in the country, contributing just 65.2 YPG to the overall offense. Last season, Colorado’s offensive struggles led the program to a 3-9 season.

But in 2026, with Marion’s arrival, Colorado’s offensive game is expected to take a U-turn. Even the Buffs have standout RBs this season to protect QB Julian Lewis.