If Deion Sanders decides to pull the plug on "Prime Time" in Boulder, the Colorado Buffaloes may be a potential landing spot for several head coaching candidates for the various SEC schools that have recently created vacancies.
The Auburn Tigers, LSU Tigers, Florida Gators, and Arkansas Razorbacks are all actively looking for coaches, and they share a pool given the regional similarities and recruiting zones. Not to mention money.
The Sporting News' Brian Schaible listed Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall as the No. 1 candidate for Colorado's job. Sumrall is not Florida's No. 1 candidate, but he is a top candidate for Auburn and LSU.
"Sumrall has transformed Troy and Tulane with resilience and organization, boasting a current record of 40-11 as he concludes his fourth season at the helm of a program. He is a culture-driven hard worker who could perfectly in Colorado," Schaible wrote.
Jimbo Fisher, who's been on SEC hot boards but hasn't seriously been mentioned as a potential option for all the open jobs, but hasn't been coveted by a single fanbase, was deemed someone who could restore "instant credibility" in Boulder.
Recently fired former Gators coach Billy Napier and former LSU coach Ed Orgeron were floated as potential options because of their southern pipelines, while recently fired former Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin was deemed a potential "Big-brand hire with the polish to sell Colorado nationally."
Following up Coach Prime at the University of Colorado Boulder is a potential blessing just as much as it's a speculative curse. The attention won't be anywhere close to the same, but the right guy coming in and bringing a winning culture could be venerated for the guy who picked a bad situation and made it a good one.
There are pros and cons for CU if Sanders moved on. They'd have stiff competition for a new coach, but there may be someone out there who wants to make the Buffs a winning program in spite of "Prime Time." Reaching or surpassing his standard isn't actually that hard, given that his program looks like a one-hit wonder with two losing seasons in three years in the shadow of the Rockies.