Deion Sanders explains challenges of recruiting Florida talent to Colorado: ‘It’s really not that cold’

High-level success in college football starts with great players, and Colorado freshman coach Deion Sanders is already winning in this all-important category. Sanders delivered for the Buffaloes in their first hire cycle despite a short turnover, pulling out the country’s fifth-best transfer class and 21st in the overall class, according to 247Sports.

Seven of those players hail from talent-rich Florida, whom Sanders is well acquainted with, having moved to Florida State from North Fort Myers High School. Colorado is a long way from the Sunshine State, and Sanders explained his approach to recruiting the state with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden on the All Things Covered podcast.

“I’m trying to introduce these young people to a different side of the country that they never thought about.” Sanders said. “When you go outside, they say: “Do you have mountains with snow, and it’s not even cold?” Because when it’s snowing, it can’t be that cold, it really isn’t that cold. [degrees] in Boulder like the weather in a sweatshirt.

“Once I get these guys from Florida over that hump and they see it,” he continued, “the summer in Boulder is incredible.”

Sanders’ high school presentation and transfer prospects are driven by the mindset he developed during his time as a desirable recruit.

“Guys from the south, like us, we didn’t have the financial means to travel. We have never travelled. So we drove the furthest from Georgia. was not our thing. We always thought it was too cold. I didn’t have a jacket in high school. I remember going to the University of Georgia with no socks, no jacket.”

Sanders’ success in recruiting in a very short period of time may have shocked the general public, but it came as no surprise to Sanders. His aggressive hiring approach, not just in Florida but across the country, is something he’s been doing since moving to Boulder.

“How would we be surprised by the success? This means that we really did not expect success, if we are surprised by success”, Sanders said. “We look forward to success. We expect to take this child. See how I came back and talked on the phone? The only thing that can stop this kid from coming and signing a contract with us is a bag.”

Will more Florida kids be drawn to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains? It remains to be seen, but four of the five players who participated in the Class of 2024 in Colorado are in the SEC’s realm.