BOULDER, Colo. — The University of Colorado football team took to the practice field Sunday for the first time under new coach Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders.
In typical Coach Prime fashion, Sanders dressed the part for the practice inside the CU practice facility, wearing a black cowboy hat and cowboy boots.
Sanders also donned a black shirt with one of his favorite phrases during his short time in Boulder: "Ain't hard 2 find."
CU has announced its annual spring football game, part of CU's Black & Gold Day, will air on ESPN on Saturday, April 22.
Black & Gold Day includes an intrasquad football game at Folsom Field at 1 p.m. There will also be other family activities, games for kids, inflatables, and autograph sessions with current and former players.
CU is charging $10 for admission this year. Tickets are still available, but are selling fast. The Buffs have already sold 35,000 tickets for the game and it will be the highest attended spring game in CU history.
Students are free of charge but will need to claim their tickets similar to the claim process for men's basketball. Parking will be $10 and will be able to be purchased in advance soon, CU said.
In less than two months, Sanders has turned around the CU football program, giving the downtrodden program and fanbase a jolt of energy and excitement.
Sanders' first recruiting class at CU, unveiled earlier in February, received a No. 21 ranking, which was the highest in 15 years. Sanders also signed two five-star recruits, players from 16 states, and two from England.
"Hope is in the house. Hope is in the air. Hope is in the city. Hope is in the community," Sanders said last week.
In all, there are around 35 newcomers on the spring roster. Sanders said he didn't want to talk about each of them by name.
"We've got names on the back of their shirts right now," joked Sanders, who starts spring practice on March 19. "I'm not familiar with every kid. I'm not being disrespectful. I'm just being honest."
Sanders said he's only getting warmed up.
"This is just a comma, because there's a lot of people that's going to bungee jump into the portal after spring because they're going to be disappointed in playing time, commitment or the level of participation they're garnishing," Sanders said. "We're going to take full advantage of that. So we're not done. This is just the comma for the spring. But I love where we are, and what we have."
Last month, Sanders gave Grammy Award-winning musician Lil Wayne a late-night tour of the facilities of the Colorado football program.
On the tour, Sanders showed Lil Wayne the spectacular facilities of the CU athletic department and football program, including training, weight and meeting rooms, indoor practice facility, entertainment area, and barbershop.
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