PHOENIX — New Colorado football head coach Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders presented an award at the NFL Honors ceremony Thursday night in Arizona.
The Pro Football and College Football Hall of Fame legend used his time in front of the crowd of football luminaries — and a national television audience — to recruit for the CU Buffaloes.
"I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to recruit," Sanders said, drawing laughter from the crowd Thursday.
"I need all your cousins … your nephews, send 'em right to Colorado. We good?" Sanders said. "Don’t have no NIL money, either, by the way."
> Above video: 9NEWS interviews Coach Prime
Sanders told the crowd that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told him he could borrow "The Star" for his recruiting, and Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson would help out as well.
Deion Sanders at NFL Honors
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 last week, 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 week, 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.
Sanders gathered his family for a commercial set to air during the Super Bowl. Oikos unveiled the new spot that will star Sanders for the second year in a row.
The "Family Reunion" commercial features Sanders and his family enjoying yogurt at an epic picnic.
Joining Sanders in the ad are his son and CU quarterback Shedeur, daughter Shelomi, son Shilo, sister Tracie and mother Connie. Oikos said each family member shows off a different feat of strength at the family picnic.
The commercial will air on Sunday, Feb. 12, both pregame and in-game during the meeting between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. The ad is also available to watch on Oikos' YouTube channel.
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