Colorado Buffaloes football coach Deion Sanders and I recently got the chance to speak in promotion of his partnership with Depend --specifically, his being the new face of Depend Real Fit® packaging -- and for June being "Prime Wake Up Call" for Men’s Health Month, an initiative focused on both physical and mental health. That initiative helped spawn DependWakeUpCall.com, where anyone can choose from one of three video text messages from Coach Prime himself, encouraging them to schedule a physical, supporting those navigating a recent health diagnosis, or empowering those experiencing bladder leaks to move past embarrassment and get back to living life. Sanders recently announced he is free of bladder cancer, but the condition forced him to use Depend and depend on a porta-potty on the sidelines to get through practices, as he recalled during our conversation. His own experiences inspired him to speak out so others can act early to detect and handle health issues promptly.
At one point, I asked him about the infamous 2022 coaching cycle rumor that linked his name to the Auburn Tigers' opening. I referenced FOX Sports analyst and former Colorado QB Joel Klatt's prediction that Coach Prime would end up on the Plains that September.
Klatt's point at the time was that Sanders could win recruiting battles that Auburn had been losing under Bryan Harsin, who was fired roughly a month after he linked Coach Prime and the Tigers. Being that Coach Prime brought elite Jackson State Tigers transfers to Boulder in his coaching switch, such as sons Shilo Sanders and Shedeur Sanders, and the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 high school cycle, 2024 Heisman winner Travis Hunter, and CU won nine games in 2024, more than Hugh Freeze accomplished during any of his three losing seasons, Klatt was on to something about a potential Sanders hiring in East Central Alabama.
Unfortunately, Klatt's possibility wasn't explored by AU.
"Not one call, not one email, nothing."
Sanders didn't divulge too much about the Auburn possibility. He had a clear answer to my question about whether there was anything to the rumor, though:
"None whatsoever. Not one call, not one email, nothing."Deion Sanders
Coach Prime had previously alluded to never hearing from AU. In November 2022, while still at Jackson State but heavily rumored to make a jump from the FCS/SWAC, Sanders told a reporter, "I've heard from the Tigers... Jackson State Tigers. Freudian slip." He also outright denied he ever flew to Atlanta to interview with Auburn, a rumor that caught steam in the hoopla of the rumor mill.
AU was deep in negotiations with then-Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin that fall to become the Tigers' next head coach, with a deal even seemingly agreed upon the week of the 2022 Iron Bowl and Egg Bowl. Kiffin backed out, perhaps for the best. A freshly hired John Cohen eventually went with Freeze. Sanders was hired a few days after that by the University of Colorado Boulder. The rest, as they say, is history.
As we know now for sure, Sanders leading the orange and blue onto Pat Dye Field at Jordan-Hare Stadium was never even a remotely realistic possibility.
"There's a little validation to that."
I followed up the Auburn question with a confirmation that the USF Bulls were indeed an option for the Fort Myers native. Reporting at the time had USF and Colorado as the final two schools in contention before Coach Prime chose the Buffs.
Sanders said, "There was a little validation to that."
Coach Prime has opened up in the past about being impressed with South Florida's vision for growth. Ultimately, the pull of Big 12 resources pulled him to the Rocky Mountains, where he's entering his fourth year with the Buffs.
The Bulls hired Alex Golesh during that cycle after Sanders' Colorado decision and went 23–15 (14–10 in conference play) in the three years since. The culmination of Golesh's Tampa tenure saw USF ranked as high as No. 24 in the CFP rankings in 2025. Golesh is now entering his first season in the Loveliest Village. Life is a circle.
While Auburn and Coach Prime have always been passing ships in the night, there's always been a few degrees of separation. Sanders, a proud Talladega College alum, is an Atlanta-area legend from his time with the Falcons. He also has strong home-state ties to Florida. These are fertile recruiting grounds that are essential to Auburn's strategy historically. These recruits' parents grew up on "Prime Time." It'll always make sense on paper to consider him if you're AU, especially if he could outsource recruiting responsibilities to strong coordinators and a strong GM, as Colorado is aiming to pull off as we speak. Sanders' health has largely kept him off the recruiting trail in recent years. He had parts of his bladder removed due to a cancerous growth, and has had toes amputated due to blood clots in his legs.
The next time Sanders and AU are credibly linked will be the first time, though. It's been radio silence between Coach Prime and Auburn up until this point.
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