Deion Sanders’ Shocking Week 1 Win Over TCU, by the Numbers
Deion Sanders and the University of Colorado Buffaloes entered TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium as 21-point underdogs Saturday. They left as the biggest story in college football.
CU upset No. 17 TCU, 45-42, thanks to a school record 510 passing yards by Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son, and a nearly unprecedented performance by Travis Hunter, who played 129 total snaps and became the first D1 athlete in 20 years to have 100 receiving yards and an interception in the same game. Freshman running back Dylan Edwards launched himself into Heisman consideration as well, tallying 177 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns—the first time a Buffalo debutant reached the end zone that often.
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But fans in Boulder have become accustomed to new precedents since Coach Prime set foot on campus last December. The Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee has built a college program like no other.
After Saturday’s victory, Sanders had words for those who doubted his unorthodox ways. “I keep receipts,” he said while walking through the stadium’s tunnels, though there’s a clause in his contract that says he doesn’t have to conventionally disclose them.
Sportico keeps receipts, too, and here are some of the stand-out figures that primed Colorado for its victory, and may point toward what’s coming next.
$29.5 Million: Colorado lured Deion Sanders from Jackson State with a five-year contract worth nearly $30 million before bonuses are factored in. He’s set to make $5.5 million in his first season as part of the largest financial package ever given to a Buffaloes football coach. If Sanders is named National Coach of the Year, he’s due an additional $150,000. He’ll get $750,000 if CU wins the national championship.
Sanders was also given a $5 million salary pool to bolster his staff.
“We don’t have the money yet,” CU athletic director Rick George said after Sanders was installed. “But I know we’ll have it, so I’m not worried about that piece.”
$28 Million: CU’s fundraising arm, the Buff Club, raised a record $28,037,617.10 in donations in fiscal 2023, up from $20.2 million in 2022. That’ll help with the new expenses. It’s also a record that’s suddenly very much in danger.
Merchandise sales have spiked, too. In Deion’s first month, gear revenue was up 505% year-over-year, the school said.
86: These aren’t your father’s Buffaloes. They’re not even your brother’s. In Year 1 under Sanders, only 10 scholarship players remain from last year’s team, while 86 new bodies have been brought in. More than 50 of them entered as transfers, including nine from Jackson State.
Sanders benefited from the NCAA removing a cap of 25 incoming transfers per team (a change made after coaches complained about the inability to replace outgoing transfers), as well as lesser known rules established to give first-year coaches more roster flexibility.
“I don’t think you got to have unity whatsoever,” Sanders told ESPN. “You got to have good players.”
1: CU has already matched its win total from last year’s 1-11 campaign. That team’s -29.1 average margin of defeat was the worst in the country.
-2.5: Previously, Colorado was more than a touchdown underdog for next Saturday’s home opener against Nebraska. Now, they’re nearly field-goal favorites.
$338: That’s the current price of the cheapest ticket on StubHub for those hoping to see in person whether Sanders and his new Buffaloes can keep this ride going for another week.
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