Upon making the move from Jackson State to Colorado last December, Deion Sanders signed a five-year, $29.5 million contract with his new school.
And through the first three games of his tenure with the Buffaloes, it would be tough to argue that Coach Prime isn’t underpaid.
One day ahead of Colorado’s highly anticipated — and unlikely — top-20 matchup against Oregon, the Daily Camera ran a story regarding the school’s record-breaking revenue since hiring Sanders. While it’s not a surprise that plenty of Buffaloes merchandise is being sold and donations are pouring in, the report also reveals that the school ran a study that showed that the media coverage of the Colorado football team through the first three weeks of the season has been worth $90.55 million to the school.
“CU Boulder has been the epicenter of the national sports world, which has provided unprecedented exposure for our university across the country,” CU Chancellor Phil DiStefano said in a statement to the paper. “I am impressed by the excitement that has permeated campus, which is less quantifiable but certainly as important as record-setting merchandise and ticket sales.”
Obviously, there’s been no shortage of coverage of Colorado for the past three weeks. Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff hosted its show live from the site of the Buffaloes’ season-opening upset win over TCU, while both Big Noon Kickoff and ESPN’s College GameDay were in Boulder last weekend ahead of Colorado’s victory over rival Colorado State. ESPN also aired multiple shows, including First Take and The Pat McAfee Show, from Boulder the day prior.
Additionally, the Buffaloes have big one of television’s biggest draws, with record-breaking ratings — even in the late-night window. True to his word, Coach Prime also hasn’t been “hard to find,” taking part in a nationally televised interview with 60 Minutes and Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks in the last week alone.
The coverage won’t be slowing down either, with Colorado set to face not only Oregon this weekend, but USC next weekend in a game that’s already been slotted for Fox’s coveted 12 p.m. ET slot. In a season where many wondered how Sanders would deal with losing for the first time in his coaching career, we’re instead seeing the impact of the exact opposite — and it’s coming to the financial benefit of his employer in more ways than one.
