Under Coach Prime, the Folsom Field sideline is the new red carpet of college football

By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Sports Writer

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders is packing the stands and the coffers at the University of Colorado while attracting a celebrity guest list that rivals any awards show Hollywood has to offer.

The green carpet that encircles the grass gridiron at Folsom Field might as well be red.

Kevin Garnett, Terrell Owens and CC Sabathia were among the stars on the sideline before the Buffaloes hosted eighth-ranked USC on Saturday — and Coach Prime ran onto the field accompanied by rapper DaBaby.

There’s Paul Pierce over here, Michael Westbrook right there and DeSean Jackson back here.

And there’s DeAndre Jordan of the NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

It mattered not that the Buffs were coming off their first lost, a 42-6 reentry at Oregon last week or that they were facing Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams without their two best defenders in Shilo Sanders (kidney) and Travis Hunter (liver).

The Deion Effect remains in full effect in Boulder — and across the country for that matter.

FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff” was in town for the third time this season. Also making an appearance was the FS1 show “Undisputed.”

Upbeat after the Buffs’ first loss of the season, Coach Prime was looking squarely into the future last week, saying, “I like where we’re headed,” and promising that the beefy linemen “are comin’” just as the skill players rushed to join the Sanders’ family reality football show in Year 1.

In addition to the usual accredited media, medical personnel and support staff on the sideline while players warmed up for the 10 a.m. kickoff were Sanders’ numerous guests. They had “We Comin’” passes or wore giant gold whistle-shaped “Prime Pass” credentials around their necks, announcing to all they were there as guest of the biggest star attraction of them all.

Photographers resembling the hordes of paparazzi chasing down pop stars chronicled it all as Sanders’ A-list guests shared hugs, handshakes and small talk near the northeast tunnel where live mascot Ralphie the Buffalo would soon run onto the field in one of college football’s iconic pregame traditions.

Taking it all in was the man who brought Sanders to Boulder last December, athletic director Rick George, who was rocking shiny gold sneakers and snazzy shades from Sanders’ signature line of Blenders sunglasses as he waited with the other sideline celebs for another big day, win or lose.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll