Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders is ready to get back into football again and move past the health scare that he dealt with this offseason.
In recent weeks, ‘Coach Prime’ revealed to the world that he had dealt with bladder cancer which he received treatment for.
Doctors revealed at a press conference that he is now ‘cancer free’ and the coach is not focusing back on the sport he loves once again.
With only a few weeks remaining until the season opener against Georgia Tech, Sanders has a lot of catching up to do.
That includes determining a starting quarterback amid a battle between Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and incoming freshman star Julian ‘JuJu’ Lewis.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders says he feels like his ‘old self’ after a major health scare
Sanders revealed last month that he underwent successful treatment for bladder cancer
Now, Sanders is ready to get back to work to prepare for the quickly arriving college season
Whoever secures the job will be stepping in for Deion’s son, Shedeur Sanders. It’s been quite some time since ‘Coach Prime’ hasn’t had his son playing as quarterback.
Shedeur is now a member of the Cleveland Browns and made his NFL debut in a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.
On Friday night, he passed for two touchdowns and guided Cleveland to a 30-10 victory.
But as for this upcoming season, ‘Coach Prime’ is expecting change for the Buffaloes.
‘We’re going to win differently, but we’re going to win,’ said Sanders, whose team went 9-4 last season and earned a spot in the Alamo Bowl.
‘I don’t know if it’s going to be the Hail Marys at the end of the game, but it’s going to be hell during the game. Because we want to be visible.
‘We want to run the heck out of the football. So it’s going to be a little different, but it’s going to be fun.’
Sanders isn’t in a rush to choose a quarterback. He’s comfortable assessing each practice individually while longtime NFL quarterback Byron Leftwich assists in working with them.
This year will be the first in a long time that Deion isn’t coaching his son, Shedeur Sanders
Shedeur is now with the Cleveland Browns, who he led to victory in his preseason debut
‘Cream of the crop will rise,’ said Sanders, who signed a high school student with leukemia as an honorary member of the team Friday.
‘It’s not urgency that we’ve got to name this or name that. Both these guys can play. I think we can play well with either one of them.’
Regarding his health, Sanders mentioned he’s walking at least a mile daily around campus after practice. Sanders, who will turn 58 on Saturday, was away from the team during the summer for personal matters.
Last month, he disclosed he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer. But after surgery his oncologist considered him cured.
‘I’m loving life right now,’ said Sanders, who has previously made headlines for his health, particularly due to two toes he had amputated and concerns about blood clots. ‘I’m trying my best to live it to the fullest, considering what transpired.’
His coach’s determination inspired left tackle Jordan Seaton.
‘It’s like, ‘OK, my health, I might possibly face serious risks from this but I’m determined to come back to you all,’ Seaton said. ‘He’s the most selfless person I know. So for me, it’s about taking the opportunity and doing my best on the field to pay it forward.’
One thing Sanders has learned heading into his third year with the Buffaloes is to trust his instincts.
Sanders, 58, spent most of the summer away from the team as he battled cancer
‘Year one, I would be on the sideline and I would feel something, and I didn’t go with my instincts,’ Sanders said.
‘Year two, I went with my instincts, and now I’m going to even go more with with my instincts.
‘But I feel like our staff gets better and better and better every year. I feel like the roster gets better and better and better every year.’
