"That's going to be fascinating"- ESPN announcer Kirk Herbstreit discusses Deion Sanders, Colorado, and the NCAA transfer portal

Deion Sanders is not wasting any time in his first year as the head coach of Colorado football. The Hall of Famer has revamped the Buffaloes’ roster with a remarkable influx of recruits and transfers, drawing admiration from some and doubt from others.

One of the admirers of Sanders’ work is ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit. He shared his views on Coach Prime and the portal during a segment on "The Pat McAfee Show."

“I think in this era of the transfer portal, I don’t know if there’s a more fascinating study than Colorado. I remember (Deion Sanders’) first speech when he talked about the ‘Louis luggage’ he has coming in, and he brought it in.”

Herbstreit said he was intrigued by Colorado’s makeover, as Sanders brought in a lot of talent to replace the players who departed. He likened it to what Lincoln Riley accomplished at USC, where he landed several big-name transfers and guided the Trojans to the Pac-12 title game in his first season.

Herbstreit said he was curious how a team like Colorado would mesh, given the huge turnover. He mentioned examples of other teams that made a lot of changes through the portal and had success, such as Michigan State.

He said it was feasible for Colorado to do the same, but it would be a challenge.

“That’s going to be fascinating. It’s basically, obviously, just a new roster… But you always wonder how (does a) team like that gel? We saw SC (Southern California) do that with Lincoln Riley — not to that level, but they gelled pretty well. And you know, they had a good year. Michigan State a couple years earlier made a lot of changes, so it can happen.”

Herbstreit said he was eager to see how Sanders and his new Buffaloes would fare in their opener against TCU on Sept. 2. He said he was cheering for Sanders, who he called a friend and a legend.

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New Colorado coach Deion Sanders determined to win despite health issues

Deion Sanders after a successful emergency surgery

However, Sanders' success on the recruiting trail has not come without challenges. The 55-year-old coach has been battling health issues related to poor blood circulation for some time. He has had surgery to prevent the risk of losing his foot due to blood clots.

He also had two toes amputated during his time at Jackson State because of blood clots.

Sanders underwent another surgery on June 24 to remove more blood clots from his legs. His girlfriend, Tracey Edmonds, posted a picture on Instagram of him in his hospital bed, smiling and showing two thumbs up.

Sanders is determined to overcome his health obstacles and lead Colorado to new heights.

Deion Sanders has already shown his ability to attract top talent and generate excitement around the program. Now, he will have to prove his coaching skills and his team's chemistry on the field.

As Herbstreit said, it's going to be fascinating.