College Football

Alabama's Nick Saban has a 'tremendous amount of respect' for Deion Sanders

Published Sep. 20, 2023 11:22 p.m. ET

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Deion Sanders has captured the attention of many since taking over last offseason as the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, and it seems he's got a fan in Alabama head coach Nick Saban. 

The seven-time National Championship-winning coach spoke highly of Coach Prime on Wednesday, revealing he respects Sanders as both a person and a coach. 

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Deion Sanders," Saban said. "First, he's a great person, and he's done a great job of marketing the program to create a lot of national interest."

The Colorado Buffaloes have a 3-0 record to start the season, and Saban attributes that success to the hard work of the team coupled with Sander's coaching style.

"They play with discipline, they do a good job of executing, they've been able to score points, playing decent on defense. So all those things, to me, are indicators that he's a really good coach."

The 16-year Crimson Tide coach admitted he has not been able to catch all the Colorado action this season, but was able to watch a little bit of the Colorado State matchup last week. 

Saban was impressed by what the Buffs showcased on the field, but was already aware of what a "Prime Time"-led team could do.

"He's always been successful whether it was Jackson State, high school or now in Colorado," Saban said. "His teams have always been well-coached."

Sanders echoed the statements of his fellow Aflac spokesperson during his recent interview with "60 Minutes." The Super Bowl champ praised Saban and gushed about the opportunities he gets to work and learn from him.

"I love, and I adore, and I respect and every time I do a commercial with Coach Saban, it's a gift," Sanders said. 

"Just sitting in his presence and hearing him and throwing something else out there, so I can hear his viewpoint on it because he’s forgotten more things that I may ever accomplish … I’m a student looking up to this wonderful teacher saying, ‘Just throw me a crumb of what you know.’"

It seems Coach Prime has soaked up some coaching gems from Saban over the years and is hoping to replicate Alabama's championship-style of football in Boulder.

The No. 19 Buffs have defeated TCU 45-42, Nebraska 36-14, and shocked the Colorado State Rams with a come-from-behind win last week 43-35.

The team suffered a setback, losing two-way star Travis Hunter to injury following a controversial collision with Rams DB Henry Blackburn, but they will stampede on this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET against No. 10 Oregon. 

Alabama will also take the field at 9:30 a.m. ET Saturday in a matchup against No. 15 Ole Miss.

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CFB - Colorado Buffaloes vs. Oregon Ducks - 09/23/2023

CFB - Ole Miss Rebels vs. Alabama Crimson Tide - 09/23/2023