Coach Prime ready for Big 12 debut after suffering a losing season

LAS VEGAS — Last year was his first losing campaign as a head coach, but after revamping Colorado’s roster, he’s ready to make a splash in a new conference.

Coach Prime’s name ring bells for many reasons, including being a Hall of Famer, his swagger and charisma. However, with the way the Buffaloes crumbled down the stretch last season, he had to humble himself. He was basically the face of College Football through the Buffaloes’ first six games, which included a promising 4-2 start.

Then the light bulb broke after a bizarre home loss to Stanford, and Colorado ended 2023 on a six-game losing streak. Many factors contributed to Coach Prime’s shortcomings, including a leaky defense, a porous offensive line, and most importantly, overall team depth.

Which is why he made it a priority to pick up the pieces during the offseason, and believes there were some bright spots to build on after a year in a loaded Pac-12. In his mind, Colorado accomplished more than just four victories on the gridiron. Coach Prime is proud that the team tripled their win total from 2022, and took care of business in the classroom.

“I’m judged on a different scale, because my wins are totally different than your wins,” Coach Prime said. “Your wins, you just judge football, that’s why I start out give you education and academics and so forth, I have to give you those things so you understand there’s a greater scope.”

Despite what the team accomplished off the field, many critics pointed out the fact that the Buffaloes had some glaring weaknesses in live action. After all, Shedeur Sanders was the most sacked quarterback in College football. Not to mention the defense allowed 43-plus points in five games.

So Coach Prime went back to the basics, and paid more attention to detail throughout the spring. Now he finds it encouraging where the team stands approaching fall camp, especially their work ethic.

“When I see the offensive line, the way they train, the way they work, the way they go about their job,” he said. “When I see the defensive line coaches, the way they’re on their kids, the way they’re demanding excellence, the way these young men are working, the athletes that they are and the bodies that they have and they developed right now.”

Everything appears to be trending up in Coach Prime’s eyes. The Big 12 will present some new challenges for Colorado though, with the style of play, speed, physicality and coaching. That’s why Coach Prime is preparing to adjust on the fly, in hopes of having a smooth transition in the 16-team league.

Everyone is still wondering if Coach Prime is in it for the long haul. Fans are frowning upon him loading the roster with players from the transfer portal, instead of recruiting student-athletes the traditional way out of high school. Coach Prime addressed those concerns when he stepped to the podium at Big 12 Media Days.

“To you all that say we only go in the portal, we signed 17 high school players last year and 13 played,” the 56-year old said. “When we signed a kid out of high school, the expectancy is for him to play, 17 kids, 13 played, and we played a total of 20 freshmen last season, including seven walk-ons.”

Just like last year, Coach Prime understands that his Buffaloes will be getting the best from every team this fall. So Colorado will have a slimmer margin for error, and every game will be important. Jackson State had a lot of success in year two under Coach Prime’s watch, and Colorado fans are hoping the same happens in Boulder.

Anticipation is through the roof as expected, and several home games have already sold out. That can be contributed to the Coach Prime effect, and he’s ready to take his show to the Big 12.

“I see the want, fire and desire from our young men, and I can’t wait until you get the opportunity to see it as well, so I’m very optimistic on what we have on our plate this year.”