Deion Sanders shares surprising attributes he looks for in recruits

Dec 4, 2022; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders speaks during a press conference at the Arrow Touchdown Club. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Deion Sanders will rely heavily on his recruiting prowess now that he is the head coach of an FBS school, and he says there are very specific criteria that he and his Colorado staff will look for in players. For some positions, those criteria include coming from a household with two parents.

Sanders had a candid conversation about recruiting during an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” ahead of the Super Bowl. He spoke about how he tries to find quarterbacks who come from two-parent households and get good grades in school.

“We want mother, father, you know, dual parents,” Sanders said, as transcribed by Outkick’s Dan Zaksheske. “We want that kid to be 3.5 [GPA] and up because he’s got to be smart. He can’t make bad decisions off the field. At all. Because he has to be a leader of men. There are so many different attributes and what we look for when we see a quarterback. And, (we) would love a coach’s son.”

Sanders threw that last line in because his son, Shedeur Sanders, is expected to be Colorado’s starting quarterback next season. The Hall of Fame defensive back went on to say that his staff also tries to find offensive linemen from two-parent households with a “strong father that they adhere to.” Sanders joked (maybe?) that defensive linemen are a different story.

“Defensive linemen, it’s totally opposite — single mama, trying to get it, he’s on free lunch,” Sanders said. “I’m talking about just trying to make it. He’s trying to rescue mama, like mama barely made the flight. I want him to just go get it. There are whole different attributes that you look for in different positions.”

You can hear more of the comments below at around the 9:20 mark:

That was about as honest of a take as you will hear from a head coach, and one that few coaches other than Sanders could deliver without being criticized.

Sanders has certainly brought his trademark confidence with him to Boulder. He even recently predicted when Colorado will win its first national championship under him.