Prime Time Gators?

Is Deion Sanders Headed To Florida In 2025?Photo bySoobum Images/USA Today/Reuters

There's one in every crowd. Steve Rivera can attest to that.

Steve Who? Right. Steve Who.

In one of the more bizzare predictions of the entire off-season, Rivera, an enterprising journalist for "The Wright Way Network" - that bastion of elite sports journalism - predicts Coach Prime will replace Billy Napier as the next head coach at Florida.

"One huge option (for Sanders) could be in the SEC," Rivera said. "A homecoming of sorts for college and NFL royalty. In Gainesville, at the University of Florida, Sanders would be the superstar name with D-1 credentials to resurrect a fading dynasty in the Gators."

Rivera continued. "The clock is ticking on Billy Napier and time is not on his side. With Deion Sanders prime to move on to bigger and better in a place that is already home, expect him in the Swamp come the 2025 season."

Pardon me while I catch my breath. I know I shouldn't laugh but I can't help it. Play dumb games. Win dumb prizes. Steve Rivera is already in the clubhouse and the 2024 season doesn't begin for another three months. The race for second place is on, Rivera has already captured the crown.

It sounds like he's drank his share of it too.

Deion Is Not Ready For A "Prime Time" Program Like Florida

Sanders, for all of his bravado, hasn't proven he's capable of leading a major program in the nation's toughest conference. In fact, he's not proven capable of leading a mediocre program in a mediocre conference. He's spent exactly one season as the coach of a Power 5 program. And while its wrong to characterize his first season at Colorado as a failure, it's as equally incorrect to deem it a success. The Buffaloes were the toast of the college football world last season, racing out to a 3-0 start and their first Top 25 ranking since 2020.

Of course, it all came crashing down as the Buffaloes lost eight of their last 9 games to finish 4-8.

Does anyone reasonably believe Sanders will improve upon this record in 2024 to catch the eye of a program like Florida?Let's assume, Florida fires Napier following a disappointing 2024 season. What has Sanders done to prove he's worthy of consideration? Would firing Napier and replacing him with Sanders be an upgrade?

Sanders, for all of his bravado, for all his cutesy quips about "keeping receipts," has yet to prove he's a capable Power 5 coach. His first full recruiting class produced just 12 signees from the class of 2024 and finished no. 67 in Rivals.com annual recruting rankings. Tulsa did better. Indiana too. Even Fla Atlantic's class ranked higher.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of any successful program. Coaching staffs hit the road en-masse, during the off-season trying to woo the best schoolboys in America to play for their program. Recruiting is the single most important aspect of not only building a program but sustaining success over the long haul. For coaches, its job security. The X's and O's are nice but unless you have the Jimmy's and the Joe's, it doesn't matter.

Sanders, easily the brightest star in the college football supernova failed to make one in home visit during the 2024 recruiting cycle. His name carries cache. His 1000 watt smile, his gregarious personality and his success as the best CB to ever play the game, gives Sanders an inherent advantage most coaches can only dream of. Instead, he stayed in Boulder. From the start of the recruting class until the bitter end, Coach Prime remained seated in his spacious office in the CU football complex.

Yet, despite the lack of experience and success there's at least one man who believes Coach Prime is the man to restore Florida to its past glory.

Yep, there's one in every crowd.