Deion Sanders Makes Statement Amid ‘Prime Time’ Return in Atlanta

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders returned to the city where he became known as “Prime Time” and walked out a winner in style on Thursday night.

“I’m back. That’s all I want to say. I’m back,” Sanders told ESPN after the 14–13 win over Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.

His Buffaloes delivered the wins that resembled his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons and a little bit of his MLB career with the Atlanta Braves. Colorado won two ways in the final minute of the comeback victory, which avenged last year’s loss to the Yellow Jackets in Boulder.

Buffaloes redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Lewis completed a clutch 20-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Charlie Williams with 1:03 left for a 14–13 lead. Colorado then blocked Yellow Jackets senior kicker Aidan Birr on his potential game-winning attempt of 45 yards with three seconds left.

Sanders picked up the nickname “Prime Time” during his high school days in Fort Myers, Florida, after a standout basketball performance and carried the moniker throughout his professional sports career.

He played for the Falcons from 1989 to 1993, during which he tallied 24 interceptions, six forced fumbles, and 238 tackles in 70 games. He also caught two touchdown passes and returned another five touchdowns on kicks and punts. 

With the Braves, Sanders hit .277 for 22 home runs and 90 RBI in 292 career games between 1991 and 1994. He was part of the Braves’ World Series team in 1992.

He eventually moved on from Atlanta in both careers, playing for the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s and winning Super Bowls. Originally a New York Yankees center fielder for two seasons, Sanders left Atlanta for the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants.

​Coaching has not been as kind to Sanders in the past three seasons with Colorado despite a fanfare-filled start in Boulder. He had a 16–21 record overall going into Thursday, and his Buffaloes hadn’t won a road game since November 2024 against Texas Tech.

He entered this season on the hot seat after a 3–9 season in 2025, when the team cratered after a big 2024 season. That year featured his son, former quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and former wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter, who won the Heisman Trophy.

Colorado’s performance on Thursday at Georgia Tech didn’t look as porous on defense as it did in 2025, but the offense didn’t resemble its 2024 form against a stingy Yellow Jackets defense.

The Buffaloes remained locked in a defensive battle throughout and trailed most of the way after Georgia Tech went ahead on a Birr field goal in the second quarter, 10–7.

Buffaloes junior running back Micah Welch struck first with a 5-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, but Georgia Tech answered with a 100-yard kickoff return by wide receiver Rahkeem Smith.

Colorado punted most of the night, and the Buffaloes relied on a mix of running backs with the ground game to move the chains. Three different backs, including Welch, had 10 or more carries. It looked bleak in the fourth quarter when the Buffaloes saw a 17-play, 61-yard drive end in a blocked field goal by the Yellow Jackets.

Georgia Tech then drove 13 plays and 68 yards for a field goal and a 13–7 lead. Lewis, who went 14–27 for 124 yards, answered the bell as he led an eight-play, 75-yard game-winning drive.

Colorado hosts Weber State, an FCS team, next on Sept. 12. The Buffaloes play another non-conference game on Sept. 19 with Northwestern before kicking off Big 12 play.

Sanders’s squad has only won once in Big 12 competition since 2024, and that will need to change in 2026 if he wants to keep his job. He took a first step on Thursday, as the Buffaloes beat an ACC team for the first time since 1957.