I recently had the opportunity to talk with Colorado Buffaloes football coach Deion Sanders about his partnership with Depend specifically, his role as the new face of Depend Real Fit® packaging and about June’s “Prime Wake Up Call” for Men’s Health Month, a campaign focused on both physical and mental well-being. This initiative led to the creation of DependWakeUpCall, where visitors can choose from three video text messages recorded by Coach Prime himself. Each message encourages recipients to schedule a physical, supports those coping with a recent health diagnosis, or helps individuals dealing with bladder leaks move past embarrassment and return to living fully. Sanders recently announced that he is cancer-free from bladder cancer, but as he shared during our conversation, the condition once forced him to use Depend products and rely on a porta-potty on the sidelines during practices. His personal experience motivated him to speak out, urging others to detect and address health issues early.
At one point, I asked him about the infamous coaching rumor from the 2022 cycle that linked him to the Auburn Tigers’ head coaching opening. I mentioned that FOX Sports analyst and former Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt had predicted that September that Coach Prime would end up on the Plains.
Klatt’s reasoning at the time was that Sanders could win recruiting battles that Auburn had been losing under Bryan Harsin, who was fired about a month after making the connection between Coach Prime and the Tigers. Given that Coach Prime brought elite Jackson State Tigers transfers with him to Boulder including his sons Shilo Sanders and Shedeur Sanders, as well as the No. 1 recruit of the 2022 high school cycle and 2024 Heisman winner Travis Hunter and that Colorado won nine games in 2024 (more than Hugh Freeze achieved in any of his three losing seasons), Klatt’s speculation about a potential Sanders hire in East Central Alabama had some merit.
Unfortunately, Auburn never explored Klatt’s possibility.
“Not one call, not one email, nothing.”
Sanders didn’t go into great detail about the Auburn scenario, but his answer to my question about whether the rumor had any substance was unmistakably clear:
“None whatsoever. Not one call, not one email, nothing.”
Deion Sanders
Coach Prime had previously hinted that he never heard from Auburn. In November 2022, while still at Jackson State but heavily rumored to be moving up from the FCS/SWAC, Sanders told a reporter, “I’ve heard from the Tigers… Jackson State Tigers. Freudian slip.” He also flatly denied ever flying to Atlanta for an interview with Auburn, a rumor that gained traction amid the frenzy of speculation.
That fall, Auburn was deep in negotiations with then Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin to become the Tigers’ next head coach, with a deal reportedly all but agreed upon during the week of the 2022 Iron Bowl and Egg Bowl. Kiffin backed out perhaps for the best. Newly hired athletic director John Cohen eventually went with Freeze. Sanders was hired by the University of Colorado Boulder a few days later. The rest, as they say, is history.
We now know for certain that 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 by confirming that the USF Bulls were indeed an option for the Fort Myers native. Reports at the time indicated that USF and Colorado were the final two schools in contention before Coach Prime chose the Buffs.
Sanders responded, “There was a little validation to that.”
Coach Prime has previously mentioned being impressed with South Florida’s vision for growth. Ultimately, the resources of the Big 12 pulled him to the Rocky Mountains, where he is now entering his fourth year with the Buffs.
After Sanders chose Colorado, the Bulls hired Alex Golesh during that same coaching cycle. Over the next three years, Golesh went 23–15 (14–10 in conference play). The highlight of his tenure at USF saw the Bulls reach as high as No. 24 in the CFP rankings in 2025. Golesh is now entering his first season in the Loveliest Village. Life comes full circle.
While Auburn and Coach Prime have always been like passing ships in the night, there have always been a few degrees of separation. Sanders, a proud Talladega College alumnus, is an Atlanta-area legend from his time with the Falcons. He also has strong ties to his home state of Florida. These are fertile recruiting grounds historically essential to Auburn’s strategy. The parents of today’s recruits grew up watching “Prime Time.” On paper, it will always make sense for Auburn to consider him—especially if he could delegate recruiting responsibilities to strong coordinators and a general manager, as Colorado is currently attempting to do. Sanders’ health has largely kept him off the recruiting trail in recent years; he has had part of his bladder removed due to a cancerous growth and has lost toes because of blood clots in his legs.
Still, the next time Sanders and Auburn are credibly linked will be the first time. So far, it’s been radio silence between Coach Prime and Auburn.
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