Deion Sanders' health: Colorado DC Charles Kelly drops a major update on Coach Prime's return at the 2023 Pac-12 Media Day

Deion Sanders' health made him unavoidably absent at the Pac-12 Media Day. But his defensive coordinator, Charles Kelly, ably filled in for the prime coach. Among other things he spoke on at the event, Kelly gave a much-anticipated update on the state of Sanders' health and his expected return.

About his boss' condition, Kelly said, “He's doing great. You can bet once fall camp gets here he'll be ready to go.”

Sanders had been expected to lead the University of Colorado's entourage to the Pac-12 Media Days. However, it was announced a few days ago that he would not be attending because of an appointment with his doctor.

Sanders, who took charge of the Buffaloes football team after the 2022 regular season, had a major surgery in June. The operation was to remove blood clots from his thighs and below his knee. His most recent hospital visit was a follow-up on the procedures he underwent in June.

The prime coach hired Kelly to join him at Colorado as the defensive coordinator when he got appointed in 2022. Kelly was previously on Nick Saban's staff at Alabama, also as defensive coordinator.

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Deion Sanders compared with Nick Saban

While speaking at the Pac-12 Media Day, Kelly touched on the similarities in the characters of the two head coaches. According to him, the two have more in common than they do not.

He said, “There are a lot more similarities between coach Saban and Deion Sanders than there are differences.”

For one, he thinks of both as good men. Then he said, “When they believe in something, they fight for it.” They also don't know how to mince words. As he put it, they say “not what you want to hear, but what you need to hear.”

As far as coaching college football is concerned, however, Saban is the more successful of the two. In fairness to Sanders, though, he is just starting out. And what he achieved at Jackson State is no mean feat, leaving with an overall record of 27-6. He was brought to Colorado to replicate this feat and he's been hard at work, as evident in the program's roster overhaul.

The Buffaloes had a dismal campaign in the 2022 season ending in a 1-11 overall record for the season. It remains to be seen how Deion Sanders and his staff can stage a turnaround from that.