{"id":111637,"date":"2025-08-02T00:37:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T00:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/111637\/"},"modified":"2025-08-02T00:37:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T00:37:14","slug":"deion-sanders-return-from-cancer-elevates-colorados-fall-camp-college-football-insider-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/111637\/","title":{"rendered":"Deion Sanders\u2019 return from cancer elevates Colorado’s fall camp | College Football Insider | Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"

BOULDER \u2014 Robert Livingston hadn\u2019t seen Deion Sanders in months.<\/p>\n

The Colorado defensive coordinator, Livingston last week spoke to Sanders in a face-to-face setting for the first time this offseason. Before Livingston could get a word out, the 57-year-old who had just returned to campus after beating bladder cancer was asking Livingston about his family.<\/p>\n

Livingston told Coach Prime about his son, Luke, who was playing baseball this summer and Sanders, who played parts of nine MLB seasons, immediately got into his old hitting stance and asked how Livingston\u2019s son was doing.<\/p>\n

\"Deion<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Colorado coach Deion Sanders during a recent preseason practice in Boulder. (Courtesy of Derek Markel, Colorado Athletics)<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Derek Markel, CU Athletics<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a testament to who he is,\u201d Livingston said. \u201cObviously, his leadership is one-of-one. We\u2019re blessed.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s safe to say CU is happy to have Sanders, the person, back with the program as much, if not more, than Sanders, the coach.<\/p>\n

Junior defensive back Carter Stoutmire was thrilled to see “family” looking like his normal self.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hit different for me because that\u2019s like family to me,\u201d Stoutmire said. \u201cIt was real genuine concern because that\u2019s like an uncle to me. … But I knew God got him at the end of the day because he\u2019s been through so much in his past, stuff like this. Whatever hardships, trials goes through, he always make it through. Just seeing him back, it was a breath of fresh air for the whole team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stoutmire\u2019s father, Omar, played two seasons alongside Sanders with the Dallas Cowboys in the late 1990s and the two have remained friends. Carter says Coach Prime has been in his life since he was born. He was a part of Sanders\u2019 first high school recruiting class and is heading into year three as a key player on the defense.<\/p>\n

But his reaction was actually more common than he might have thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cScared, I think like everybody,\u201d Livingston said of his initial emotions. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about a life here. This football stuff doesn\u2019t really matter at the end of the day. It\u2019s a testament to who he is. He keeps a tight inner circle. He was away and we were working and just knowing that when he comes back, he\u2019s gonna hit the ground running.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what happened. While Coach Prime was eager to catch up with his staff on their personal lives when he got back to Boulder, he was also eager to prepare for an important 2025 campaign \u2014 one with raised expectations after last year\u2019s nine-win season and Alamo Bowl berth.<\/p>\n

\"Deion<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Colorado coach Deion Sanders during a recent preseason practice in Boulder.<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Derek Markel, CU Athletics<\/p>\n

There was never any doubt the man most responsible for the rapid turnaround in Boulder was returning to build a sustained winner at CU.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know the guy (and) what he\u2019s already been through. We knew he\u2019d be here (for) day one,\u201d Livingston said. \u201cIt\u2019s our job, obviously, in the summer \u2014 player-acquisition period is already (over) \u2014 to get the best out of the guys when we can. Can\u2019t say enough about the strength staff. I think they\u2019ve done a phenomenal job.<\/p>\n

“When you\u2019re a phenomenal leader, as Coach Prime is, you establish a culture (and) a situation where people just go to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The list: 5 sleepers to watch in the Power 4 conferences<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last week, we highlighted the top four contenders in each Power 4 conference. Now we dive deeper and look at five College Football Playoff sleepers:<\/p>\n

1. Oklahoma<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Tulane<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables, center, and his team walk shoulder to shoulder during pregame warm ups before an NCAA college football game against Tulane, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo\/Alonzo Adams)<\/p>\n

Alonzo Adams<\/p>\n

The Sooners believe they have the next Cam Ward \u2014 and they went to the same school to find him. Oklahoma made one of the biggest transfer additions of the offseason, adding Washington State quarterback John Mateer after he threw for over 3,100 yards and rushed for over 800 yards to go with 44 total touchdowns in his first year as the full-time starter in Pullman. Just like Ward at Miami last year, the Sooners are hoping Mateer can make a similar jump up to the Power 4 level and have the same production. If Mateer can come close to replicating Ward\u2019s season as a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2024, that will go a long way toward helping OU bounce back after last year\u2019s disappointing 6-7 campaign.<\/p>\n

2. Illinois<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Illinois<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) attempts to pass against Rutgers during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Piscataway, N.J. Illinois defeated Rutgers 38-31. (AP Photo\/Rich Schultz)<\/p>\n

Rich Schultz<\/p>\n

Everyone is searching for this year\u2019s Indiana. Well, stay in the same conference and look one state over. The Illini won 10 games in 2024 for the second time this century and first time since 2001. Now, they return one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten in Luke Altmeyer, while coach Bret Bielema continues to build in the trenches with a veteran offensive and defensive line that have laid the foundation for winning football in Champaign.<\/p>\n

3. Baylor<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Baylor<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson throws a pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State won 43-21. (AP Photo\/Charlie Neibergall)<\/p>\n

Charlie Neibergall<\/p>\n

The term \u201csleeper\u201d shouldn\u2019t really apply to a conference like the Big 12, where the team that won the league last year was picked last in the preseason media poll, but the Bears are slightly under the radar heading into 2025. People might not realize just how good this team is. It starts at the top with coach Dave Aranda, who saved his job a year ago by winning eight games for just the second time in his five-year tenure in Waco. But the real reason to believe in Baylor is quarterback Sawyer Robertson, who might be one of the top-10 players at his position nationally and is a sleeper Heisman bet.<\/p>\n

4. Georgia Tech<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Georgia<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King (10) runs for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA football game against Syracuse, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo\/Hans Pennink)<\/p>\n

Hans Pennink<\/p>\n

Yes, that\u2019s right, the team that comes to Folsom Field for a Friday night season opener will provide a tough test right away for Coach Prime\u2019s team. The Yellow Jackets are “gamers” who knocked off then-unbeaten Miami last season and took in-state rival Georgia to the wire (eight overtimes) in Athens. Haynes King is one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the country and his backfield partner, running back Jamal Haynes, is enough to carry one of the better offenses in the ACC. It\u2019s all about defensive improvement for Brent Key\u2019s team.<\/p>\n

5. South Carolina<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"South<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) reacts after scoring a touchdown in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Clemson Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo\/Jacob Kupferman)<\/p>\n

Jacob Kupferman<\/p>\n

The Gamecocks fit the mold of all other four teams on this list \u2014 solid 2024 season and excellent quarterback \u2014 but are arguably the most intriguing. In the most wide-open SEC in years, is LaNorris Sellers good enough to single-handedly get South Carolina into conference title contention? There are those who think the Gamecocks’ QB is a potential No. 1 pick in next year\u2019s NFL draft. This could be the breakout year coach Shane Beamer has building toward since he arrived in Columbia.<\/p>\n

Quotable<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Pat<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Colorado offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur speaks at a news conference ahead of the 2024 Alamo Bowl game against BYU on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.<\/p>\n

Tyler King, The Denver Gazette<\/p>\n

\u201cI call it quarterback development. We\u2019ll develop a plan \u2014 who plays and when \u2014 once we get to the game. Right now, as we go through the installation (of the offense), we demand that they all learn everything that we\u2019re doing. I see good progress each day. The way this thing works is especially the first eight days (of fall camp), you have like eight installations, so as you can imagine, in the meeting room setting or academic setting, you teach \u2018em something, they go out and practice. The next day, we teach ’em something new and then they gotta go back and review because now the two installs apply to that practice and then three and so on. It\u2019s a process. They\u2019re both very, very smart guys. JuJu (Lewis) is obviously much younger, so there\u2019s processes a little bit foreign to him, but Kaidon has got a lot of experience and he\u2019s used to it. I think they\u2019re both doing extremely well.\u201d \u2014 CU Buffs offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur on the first few days of the QB battle between Kaidon Salter and Julian \u2018JuJu\u2019 Lewis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BOULDER \u2014 Robert Livingston hadn\u2019t seen Deion Sanders in months. The Colorado defensive coordinator, Livingston last week spoke…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":111638,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[1318,1317,1315,1316,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-111637","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-football","11":"tag-ncaafootball","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114956379863276215","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111637\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}