(Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)
Sanders was sporting a silver beard this week when he met with reporters, a new look to go with his sunglasses, cowboy hat and massive gold chains.
“Coach Prime” has been the most refreshing story of the season even amid his team’s recent slump, showing that massive roster turnover paired with a new culture can lead to an immediate revival.
The interest in Sanders’ team is unprecedented. All eight Buffaloes games have been sold out. This will be the fifth Colorado game shown on network television, a school record with a handful of games left. The Buffaloes’ combined social media following has gone from 268,000 when Sanders was hired to 2,250,000 this week.
“He’s great for college football, the attention and the buzz that he’s brought to this game — but I also admire him,” said UCLA coach Chip Kelly, who got to visit with Sanders a few years ago when the former NFL star brought his son Shedeur to a Bruins camp.
“He’s a little bit old school, you know, in terms of his approach, in terms of how he does things and I think it‘s the same he was when he was a player. He had a tremendous amount of talent, but he’s got an unbelievable work ethic in terms of what he does and how he performs and what he puts into it and I think that’s what he’s asking from his players and that’s what he’s getting from his players.”