In high school, Shedeur Sanders was a sought-after quarterback who attracted attention from many of the nation’s top colleges.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders recalls the positive experience he and his son had during the recruiting process with former Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn.
“I love him. I appreciate him,” Coach Prime said of Malzahn. “He’s one of my favorite coaches in college football, the way he gave us love and showed us love and compassion when I think Shedeur was a sophomore or junior going up to a visit at Auburn, and he offered him on the spot. It was tremendous.”
On Saturday, Shedeur, Coach Prime, and the Buffaloes (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) will face Malzahn when CU visits Central Florida (3-0, 1-0) in Orlando, Fla. (1:30 p.m. MT, Fox).
A lot has changed for Malzahn, Shedeur, and Coach Prime since 2020, when Shedeur was a senior at Trinity Christian (Texas) High School.
In December 2020, Malzahn was dismissed by Auburn, but he is now in his fourth season at UCF, with a record of 27-16 with the Knights.
Coach Prime was appointed as head coach at Jackson State in 2020, and Shedeur soon joined him, playing two seasons with the Tigers. In December 2022, Coach Prime took the position at CU, and Shedeur followed him to Boulder.
Realignment – UCF joined the Big 12 in 2023, and CU returned to the Big 12 this year – has made the Knights and Buffs conference rivals for the first time, setting the stage for Saturday’s matchup.
As they prepare to square off this week in Orlando, Coach Prime and Malzahn have a mutual admiration and respect for each other.
“I love what he’s brought to college football,” Coach Prime said. “A lot of similarities. He does it his way, and I love the way he does it. He’s unapologetic about the way he does it. And he’s with a bunch of Florida boys, which is my home state, which I absolutely adore.”
Malzahn, who was born in Irving, Texas, grew up a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, where Deion Sanders starred for a few years. Malzahn said he’s grown to appreciate the coaching version of Sanders.
“What I admire about him, he does it his way,” Malzahn said. “This is a deal where you look at college football as entertainment, and the juice and the attention he brings to our league I think is really good. He does it his way and I’m an old high school coach and I do it my way. I’m a little bit different, too. He has his team playing well and he’s doing a good job.”
Coach Prime and Malzahn are both former high school coaches, although it’s been quite a while since Malzahn was in the prep ranks. He left Springdale (Ark.) High School in 2006 to become the offensive coordinator at Arkansas and he’s been a college head coach since 2012.
This is Coach Prime’s fifth season as a college coach (all as head coach), and he said “it’s an honor” to coach against his friend this week.
“You gotta understand, I was a high school coach visiting those guys, taking my kids on the college tours,” Coach Prime said. “Now to have the opportunity to coach on the same field, it’s an honor. It’s a tremendous honor. And I got love for him.
“After we play him, then I could call him for advice. He’s not going to give me advice before, but he’s one of the guys that I would call for advice on certain situations that may occur with college football.”
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