Former Dallas Cowboys star and now-Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders — AKA Coach Prime — presided over a 9-3 season. His two-way star Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy, while his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Colorado is quickly becoming a pipeline to the pros.
On Dec. 16, the Buffaloes pulled off a major coup by signing former Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle Jehiem Oatis from the transfer portal. According to ESPN, he was the No. 1-ranked defender and No. 5 overall player in the portal.
NFL Fans Rally Behind Coach Prime’s Portal Coup
NFL fans on X rallied behind Prime’s portal coup by securing Oatis’ transfer.
Prime is cooking
— College Football Alerts (@CFBAlerts_) December 17, 2024
“Prime is cooking,” one fan wrote.
“Colorado just stacking up the transfer wins. They’re gonna be a force next season if they plug in the right QB,” another fan opined.
“Coaching matters. More good players will head to Colorado,” one fan wrote.
“Him learning from Sapp. Prime might be cookin,” another fan wrote.
“Folks laughed at Coach Prime when he went heavy on the portal. They’re not laughing anymore,” one fan said.
“Fruits of prime time PR and Lil Wayne, maybe he will win next year,” another fan wrote.
Jehiem Oatis Opts for Coach Prime’s NFL-Centric Colorado
After the Buffaloes faded to a 4-8 finish during the 2023 season, Coach Prime promised to hire professionals and acquired the services of several coaches with NFL backgrounds to make Colorado more NFL-centric.
During an interview with ESPN, after he made the move to Colorado, Oatis revealed that he made the move because of the NFL-geared coaching that he would get from the Buffs staff. He specifically name-checked defensive line coach Damione Lewis who had a nine-year NFL career and was a defensive line coach for the Seattle Seahawks (2020-2023) under legendary coach Pete Carroll.
The other important figure in Oatis’ decision to join Sanders in Boulder was the presence of former Super Bowl winner and senior quality control analyst Warren Sapp, who has helped to reinvigorate Colorado’s defense under defensive coordinator Robert Livingston.
“I feel like it’s beneficial for me, and I feel like I can give a lot of help to this season,” Oatis said in his ESPN interview. “And I will have a coach I can depend on and a position coach leading me the right way. Great, great coaches. Lot of help. They know what they’re talking about and they lead the right way. They want you to go get it, go after it.”
Oatis registered 55 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and four pass breakups in 13 games played for the Crimson Tide.
Acquiring Oatis from the transfer portal is a great addition for Sanders and the Buffaloes as they seek to make strides toward being in the elite tier of college football.