“They Call Me Coach”: Deion Sanders Instantly Calls Out Student Who Addressed Him by His Name

BOULDER, Colo. — A chance encounter between two University of Colorado students and head football coach Deion Sanders offered a brief but telling snapshot of the reverence the Hall of Famer expects on his own turf. While relaxing on a campus bench earlier this week, the undergraduates spotted Sanders strolling past and greeted him with an excited, “Deion Sanders?” followed by, “How you doing, Deion?”

Sanders, ever the showman, paused just long enough to deliver a playful correction: “They call me Coach around here,” before offering a fist bump and continuing on his way. The lighthearted exchange, captured in a moment that quickly circulated among students, underscored the identity Sanders has embraced since taking over the Buffaloes program.

The 2025 season tested that identity as never before. After star quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way phenom Travis Hunter departed for the NFL, Colorado’s on-field results fell short of preseason optimism. Yet within the context of Sanders’s personal trials—most notably a summer bladder-cancer diagnosis that required surgery and a forced hiatus from preseason activities—program insiders still label the calendar year a success. Doctors ultimately declared the 58-year-old cancer-free following a bladder replacement, and Sanders credits the temporary step away with reshaping his lifestyle and dietary habits.

Off the field, 2025 brought additional milestones. In March, Sanders signed an eight-year, $8.9 million annual contract that places him among the highest-paid head coaches in college football. Weeks later, both of his sons heard their names called during the NFL Draft, capping a bittersweet but triumphant spring.

Still, Colorado’s roster depth remains a concern. The 2025 squad lacked the volume of four- and five-star signees needed to compete consistently in the Big 12, exposing the lag between national buzz and tangible recruiting victories. Analysts caution that until Sanders and his staff convert publicity into elite commitments, the Buffaloes risk remaining on the periphery of the national conversation.

Yet those same analysts acknowledge that overcoming cancer has a way of re-ordering priorities. If Sanders’s health scare offered clarity, his brief interaction with the students offered a reminder: titles matter, and in Boulder, “Coach” is the only one he’s ready to answer to.