Part of the agreement that landed Deion Sanders at Colorado included a large amount of autonomy. The 56-year-old Pro Football Hall of Famer wanted to do things his way and would not settle for anything less than a university (and athletic director) that was willing to play ball how he wants to play ball.
That goes for both the on-field product as well as the behind-the-scenes operations.
Coach Prime arrived to Boulder with a splash and completely overhauled his first-year roster through the transfer portal. The Buffaloes spent a lot more money than usual to do so!
That sentiment is true for the entire program. According to the athletic department’s year-end fiscal report, Colorado football dished out a significant amount of dough in 2023 when compared to 2022.
It cashed out at $35 million in expenses for FY2023. That is $9.5 million more than the year prior.
The coaching salary pool, which includes the head coach and his assistants, increased by $2 million. Team travel (meaning food, flights, buses, and lodging) saw a $382,000 bump.
And then there is recruiting.
The Buffaloes spent $770,293 to recruit in the fiscal year prior to the Coach Prime hire. They spent $983,134 on recruiting in the first year under Sanders’ direction. That’s a 27% increase.
Colorado was essentially recruiting 27% harder in 2023 than it was in 2022!
All-in-all the decision to hire Deion Sanders was very lucrative. Not only did he win three more games than his predecessor, the Buffaloes football program generated $13 million in ticket sales and $1.5 million from game programs, parking, novelties, and concessions. It turned a profit of $15.1 million in total.
The only other team to finish the year in the black was men’s basketball. It turned a profit of $1.3 million.
With one (relatively disappointing) college football season under his belt, it will be curious to see how Sanders and Colorado spend in 2024! We’ll find out next January.