Former AU hoops fan-favorite defends ex-long shot football HC candidate

Wendell Green Jr. came to the defense of former longshot Auburn football head coaching candidate Deion Sanders after a fan referred to the scene in Boulder on September 16 during the Rocky Mountain Showdown between Colorado State and Colorado — a game the Buffs won 43-35 in double overtime — as a “circus” and being thankful Coach Prime isn’t running the Tigers.

“‘Circus’ is crazy,” Green prefaced before saying, “terrible.”

In truth, AU and Coach Prime were not a good fit. Not at this point in time anyway. The pressure and expectations surrounding Sanders on the Plains wouldn’t have been fair for anyone involved considering the Tigers’ underrecruited situation in the trenches his son Shedeur would’ve had to contend with.

But that doesn’t mean that what Sanders has at CU is worthy of scorn in every way. Not when the Buffs are 3-0 and ranked.

Analyst: Auburn football should have hired Deion Sanders

AL.com’s Joseph Goodman, in the immediate aftermath of Auburn knocking off UMass 59-14 in Week 1 of the 2023 season on September 2, wrote that the Tigers should’ve hired Sanders instead of Freeze.

“I’m happy for Auburn and Hugh Freeze,” Goodman prefaced before saying, “I really am. It’s a good fit and it’s going to work. I really want to believe that. It’s just, here’s the thing. I have one very simple question here during the first full weekend of the college football season.

“I’ll just come right out and say it. Should Auburn have hired Deion Sanders? I’ll save everyone the suspense. The answer is yes. Absolutely, yes. One-thousand percent yes-yes-yes.”

Again, the fit would not have been there for Sanders at AU, with a proud set of boosters who do not like being told how things are going to be. Coach Prime has openly stated that he doesn’t concern himself with meeting boosters. That wouldn’t have worked in East Central Alabama.