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At the Big 12 Media Days in Dallas on Wednesday, Deion Sanders made his first public appearance since April after being away due to a health issue. During a round table session, he called for major changes to how money is handled in college football.
Sanders wants a system like the NFL, where salary caps and rules keep things fair for all teams.
"That's what the NFL does," Sanders said. "The problem is, you've got a guy that's not that darn good, and you could give him a half-million dollars, and you can't compete with that. That doesn't make sense.
"All you have to do is look at the playoffs and see what those teams spent and you understand darn near well why they're in the playoffs. It's kind of hard to compete with somebody who's giving $25-$30 million to a freshman class. It's crazy. We're not complaining. … But what's going on right now don't make sense."
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Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy agrees with Deion Sanders. On Friday’s episode of “Andy & Ari On3," Gundy said schools like his can’t outbid bigger programs for top players.
“There were schools paying, what, $30-40 million for a roster,” Gundy said (Timestamp: 11:30). “What Coach Prime said in the round table today, just starting to think he’s accurate. I mean the percentages that if we don’t create a system similar to the NFL, if you win the Super Bowl, you pick last. If you finish last you get to pick first. So we balance our rosters and the money is very similar.
“College needs to instigate and build that type of system so we don’t have the same four, five or six schools that pay the most money at the end of the season in the playoffs.”
Deion Sanders on the health issue that kept him away
Deion Sanders has been dealing with a serious but private health issue and has been recovering at his home in Texas. Sanders mentioned the issue on a podcast with former NFL player Asante Samuel on May 31. He did not share many details but said it was a serious situation and that he had lost 14 pounds.
"I’m really not going to tell you much," Sanders said on Wednesday at Big 12 Media Days. "I’m not going to talk about my health, I'm here to talk about my team. I'm living good. I’m living lovely. Not a care in the world."
Looking ahead, Deion Sanders' team will open its 2025 season at home on Aug, 29 against Georgia Tech.
