Deion Sanders is clearly worth way more to Colorado University than the $29.5 million the school will pay him over the next five years. Through his first three games, Coach Prime has turned Boulder, Colorado, which last year was home to one of the worst Power 5 college football teams of all-time, into the center of the sports universe.
The school has commissioned a study to better-understand Deion’s impact. University spokesperson Steve Hurlbert said that the school believes the exposure Sanders has provided is worth north of $90 million to the school.
That number is measured in ticket and merchandise sales as well as the advertising value of the time ESPN, FOX, CBS and others have spent either talking about the football team and its coach or broadcasting its games.
“I’m so happy for our students, alumni and fans who have all been savoring this incredible experience,” Chancellor Phil DiStefano said in a statement. “Most of all, I’m immensely proud of our coaches and student-athletes, who have demonstrated incredible poise amidst all of this attention and whose hard work is the reason we’re enjoying such a successful start to the season.”
Hurlburt noted that the school issued 848 media credentials for the Buffaloes’ home opener against Nebraska. He expects that number to be dwarfed by the amount that will be issued for their game against USC next week.
Every Colorado has sold out, but the bigger impact of the media exposure can be seen in alumni donations according to The Daily Camera. The paper notes that donors gave over $2 million more to the school in fiscal year 2023 than they did the previous fiscal year.
