Colorado University Athletics
Weekly Press Conference Quotes
November 07, 2023 | Football
Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders
Opening Statement
"Congratulations immensely to our women's basketball team and our men's basketball team and Coach Payne and Coach Boyle for what they accomplished last night and congrats to our soccer team for being selected to the NCAA tourney yesterday, that is quite an honor. Also David Conner offensive tackle from Atlanta, sociology and Jacob Woida from Wisconsin exploratory studies academic students of the week. As well as Travis Hunter honorable mention for the Paul Hornung Award. Travis top four games in CU history in snaps a game. Second player FBS to three touchdown receptions and three interceptions since Champ Bailey which is unbelievable. I played with Champ, a Hall of Famer. Vassett has been unbelievable. Mark has 17 punts inside the 20 including eight inside the 10 and three inside the five which is unbelievable. I think we messed up a couple or he would have some inside the one if we'd had done our jobs right kid is unbelievable. Xavier Weaver 60 receptions 783 yards setting new career highs for himself and he's on pace for 1,000 yards to season which is phenomenal. Next, sometimes when you're losing like we're losing, you have to find positives to energize the staff, energize the young men that are working their butts off to make it happen. So we presented some statistics to our team yesterday and I wanted to share them with you. 18 turnovers defensively tied for fourth in the country. Eight fumbles recovered tied for fourth in the country. 10 interceptions tied for seventh in the country. 23 sacks tied for 12th in the country and a 36% stop rate in the red zone 14th in the country. And the offense through nine games I'm comparing this to last year at this particular time. I think we're averaging 16 more points a game and plus 86.5 yards a game. Passing-wise it was eight touchdowns and eight interceptions at this point a year ago. Now I think we're at 24 touchdowns, three interceptions plus 1,100 yards, almost 1,200 yards. We lack in rushing at this point last year they had 1,024 and we're minus 402. So we're suffering in that aspect but there's a tremendous amount of positives that we must glean on with these young men because they're playing their butts off and I would like to reiterate today there's no quit in them. And that's one thing that draws me closer and closer to them and I love it. There is no quit in them. They have not shut it down. They're still fighting their butts off to the end."
On if the women's basketball team is coming
"They're coming and we should've played their theme music because they're balling. You know I'm a huge fan of their coach, Coach Payne. She's unbelievable just to see her do her thing and witness her practices. And then get instant and constant feedback from my daughter who's there and she called me late. I was already asleep. I was so tired yesterday and she just called me screaming in the phone so happy and excited and full of joy about that accomplishment. That is huge. We cannot underestimate what they just did. That was huge for the program, was huge for the university and women's basketball. Hats off to them. I wish I could have been there to witness it myself, but it was a blessing."
On turning negatives into positives
"Well, my life is positive. You got to understand I don't dwell on yesterday. Losses are hard to flush tremendously for me though, because I'm a bonafide winner. I'm a positive person throughout anything so I don't really dwell on it. I'm a natural fixer and I want to fix things, I want to make things work, I want to make things right, I want our fans to be pleased, I want our AD to be ecstatic and I want our kids to all go pro and be successful in some form or fashion and that includes winning."
On the defense being more productive
"Defense is always a little harder to get going than offense is. Because you're trying to stop somebody. It's like you trying to stop me from getting to that darn whiteboard and that's kind of tough. When you are the person that's offensive, usually you have much more success early on. The defense is getting it. They're understanding the scheme. They understand the expectation and they have constant consistent energy. Those guys are just built different, man. I love it. Not that they're built different than the total offense, just as as men as football players, they're tough nosed and tough minded. And when we get everybody on the same page, it's going to be extraordinary. I like what I see in practice. I like what I see in the film room. Even the mistakes we make throughout the game it's one guy here and there and we could correct that."
On momentum week-to-week
"I don't know if it's inside of the season, but it has a lot to do with opportunities. When you break it down and we broke it down and allowed the young men to see the multitude of opportunities there were defensively and offensively. And when you break it down and show them, okay, if we'd had done that we would've taken advantage of the opportunity. If we had done that we would have taken advantage of an opportunity and now it's a different score and it's a different scenario. So it's a lot of ifs after the game, but you got to show them how close they are."
On what he hopes to leave the fans with in last home game
"Positive hope. Positive hope that I wish you could only understand how close we are to being what we want to be and do what we want to do. Last week I think I said it, we got our butts kicked once. Everything else we had an opportunity to win. We gotta learn how to win, we got to seize the moments, we got to take advantage of the opportunities presented and we can't faint in the midst of adversity. We got to stand tall in the midst of adversity and we're learning that. That's a process that is truly as impatient as you are, and the young men in that locker room there are impatient as well but they want it. I can't say they don't want it, they truly do because they have not given up."
On the final season in the Pac-12
"We don't think about that, we could care less. Whoever's on the schedule we're going to play our hardest so we're going to play to win. We don't care what you call it, what conference you call it. I'm serious, I'm speaking for my staff as well as the young men that I coach. They don't care about the conferences they just want to win and play their butts off and prayerfully go to the NFL or be a professional in some form or fashion. They don't care what package you wrap us up in. I have not met a kid yet and I've been recruited for what four years now? Three and a half, four years. I have not met a kid yet to say, man that Pac-12 or that SWAC. Not yet. They're concerned about how much they're gonna play not the schedule but they want to go to the next level. They're not thinking about who they're playing against and what they're playing against and what you call it. I haven't caught a recruit yet for that."
On what the offense needs to adjust
"We did some positive things that you're one play away, you're one block away, you're one missed assignment away, you're one step too deep on a route, you're one drop away from accomplishing what you desire to accomplish. But we got to stop that. We got to have consistency and make those plays happen instead of allowing those plays to escape us. So when you're looking at film or you're gleaning from film, you're thinking about what you can do the next week. Yesterday is yesterday. What can we do now to make sure we don't miss those opportunities practice-wise, film study-wise and preparation-wise period. That's the thought process."
On recognizing the seniors
"Let me tell you who should be recognized. I mean, the seniors should be recognized. Great. But the darn scout team I want to recognize them this week, I really do. I want to recognize them in some form or fashion because they don't receive the handclaps, don't receive the fanfare, are not recognized publicly and they work their butts off and a majority of them are walk-ons. Some of them are scholarship players, young and trying to make their way or trying to see their way through but they should be recognized as well. But we're gonna give our seniors love and support wholeheartedly, but I don't think we have many that are going to be recognized."
On Jedd Fisch
"First and foremost, he's a really good coach. He's a really good person. I think we were together maybe in San Francisco, or something. I don't know. I'm just trying to make sure. I do remember his face and his name but he's been phenomenal. His coaching resume is suffice. I like him as a person, as a coach, as a man. What he's doing with that program is phenomenal. And I love everything he's doing and his kids are playing hard. They're not being penalized much and they're playing hard and they're making the plays that they need to make."
On if he looks at Arizona's program to learn from
"I really can't say I do. I would be lying if I do. I have so many people I can lean on. I mean just having wonderful talks with guys who have been in these situations. I think a couple of weeks ago, talking to Coach Johnson, Jimmie Johnson, he was phenomenal. I talk to Coach Zimmer all the time. Barry Switzer. There's so many guys that I could pull from and I do gravitate to them even guys that weren't head coaches, but they had positions not just in the NFL but in college football that I leaned on that you may not even know of. But they've been there and done that so I have a database of some lofty people that I could glean from. But he is definitely a guy that I admire and respect the heck out of what he's doing with your program."
On learning how to win
"Our team is learning how to be consistent and when you are consistent with anything in life, you're usually successful in that and we're learning how to be consistent in certain areas. You can see now the defense is propelling itself and they're more consistent in things that they were inconsistent in early in the year and I love that aspect of it. But that's what winning in life is about, is being consistent. We just gotta be consistent in the things that we desire to do well, and as of right now in some aspects of our game we're inconsistent."
On what he's learned as a coach
"Patience. Patience. Patience. Patience. You guys know I ain't perfect. I chase that and patience is everything. You gotta understand man, coming from where we came from I don't think we lost a regular season game in two years. In high school, shoot, maybe one in the last four years or three years. That's tough to be patient and understanding that this formula of winning you got to get pieces, everyone has to be all in. You got to paint the picture and they got to understand the portrait that was painted. You got to all be on one accord. That's wonderful."
On Shedeur handling pressure
"Shedeur is a pro, man. He's a pro playing college football. He knows how to handle you all, he knows how to take care of academics, he knows how to act in public. He has fun with the game. When he's holding up his watch and all that stuff that's fun to him. He's a kid. You guys try to throw adulthood on him and don't want him to enjoy his life and his game. You don't know him like I know him because I'm his dad. He's a great human being. He's really a great young man. He's good for the game. He's good for his teammates. He's good for college football. And the way he's handled that adversity that we're in the same boat we always won. So this is tremendously tough hitting this hurdle that we've hit. So I don't see him flinching. I don't see quit in him. I don't see any shutdown in him. He's studying and preparing just as he would any other time the same preparation when we were winning. He's getting more treatment because his body is tremendously sore. His body is tremendously sore because I know some things that he doesn't do that he's doing now to make sure he can get out there and be his best. So I'm proud of the young fella I really am. I'm proud of his brother on the other side too, as well. I'm proud of those guys as well as all other kids on the team but you asked me about my son so that's why I diverted to my sons because some people get the end of this and say why is he talking about his kids and not the team, I love all my kids."
Mark Vassett, Jr., Punter
On what this season has been like for him
"Yeah, it's been a it's been a lot of fun. I mean, my first two years at Louisville -- It's definitely a lot of differences being here. Every time you look at your fire, and it's all about Colorado, so it's pretty cool to see. Playing for this man [Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders] over here is pretty special. We always -- not joke but we always say he's more than a football coach. He really cares about us and he's he's more of a life coach. So he's getting us prepared for life after football too."
On how comfortable he feels in his role
"I've always been comfortable but I definitely have improved as the season [has] gone on. The thing about punting is -- a lot of guys have the big balls, but it's how good is your worst ball. That's what makes the great punters great and that's something I've been working towards every day."
On the special teams unit
"It's a great group. We have a lot of fun. [K Alejandro] Mata has been doing his thing, man. He's amazing. [K] Jace [Feely] has been kicking a lot of touchbacks as of late. Those guys are a lot of fun man and we have a great time of practice and we hang out outside of practice. It's a great group. I can't speak highly enough for those guys."
On pinning teams deep in their own territory
"Yeah, it is a lot of fun, but I actually don't practice those as much as you probably think. I mean playing Australian football all my life growing up -- that end-over-end punt just comes natural to me. I spend most of my week trying to perfect the spiral punting. Those are just easy for me -- placing the ball where I want to."
On being called upon in late-game situations
"Oh, yeah. Late in the game -- I think it was against Stanford. Two minutes left. I love being put in those moments. I just want to do my job for the team."
On if there are any players that have stood out to him on the punt team
"For sure. We've had several changes on the punt team recently with injuries. A guy like [C] Hank Zilinskas -- the o-lineman. He's been called upon to be a guard on the punt team. [He's] Done a phenomenal job man. There are serval other guys flying down the field making plays. I can't do what I do without those guys. So yeah, it's been great."
On taking pride in being a holder on the field goal unit
"I take a lot of pride in that. I want to play at the next level and as a punter, you really can't unless you're the primary holder. I kind of kick during a whole practice so when I'm not kicking, I'm working on holding. I definitely take a lot of pride in it."
On the support of his Australian Friends and Family
"Obviously, I love to rep [represent] where I'm from. I get a lot of support from backyard -- friends and family. They love what I'm doing over here. They really don't know anything about American football. They see the big crowds and they love it. It's cool to see so many guys that I trained with back home [and] play against them here and just see them all over the country doing their thing. It's really special."
On if he misses his old job working construction
"No. I do not miss construction. I'm working everyday here to make sure I don't have to go back to construction."
Opening Statement
"Congratulations immensely to our women's basketball team and our men's basketball team and Coach Payne and Coach Boyle for what they accomplished last night and congrats to our soccer team for being selected to the NCAA tourney yesterday, that is quite an honor. Also David Conner offensive tackle from Atlanta, sociology and Jacob Woida from Wisconsin exploratory studies academic students of the week. As well as Travis Hunter honorable mention for the Paul Hornung Award. Travis top four games in CU history in snaps a game. Second player FBS to three touchdown receptions and three interceptions since Champ Bailey which is unbelievable. I played with Champ, a Hall of Famer. Vassett has been unbelievable. Mark has 17 punts inside the 20 including eight inside the 10 and three inside the five which is unbelievable. I think we messed up a couple or he would have some inside the one if we'd had done our jobs right kid is unbelievable. Xavier Weaver 60 receptions 783 yards setting new career highs for himself and he's on pace for 1,000 yards to season which is phenomenal. Next, sometimes when you're losing like we're losing, you have to find positives to energize the staff, energize the young men that are working their butts off to make it happen. So we presented some statistics to our team yesterday and I wanted to share them with you. 18 turnovers defensively tied for fourth in the country. Eight fumbles recovered tied for fourth in the country. 10 interceptions tied for seventh in the country. 23 sacks tied for 12th in the country and a 36% stop rate in the red zone 14th in the country. And the offense through nine games I'm comparing this to last year at this particular time. I think we're averaging 16 more points a game and plus 86.5 yards a game. Passing-wise it was eight touchdowns and eight interceptions at this point a year ago. Now I think we're at 24 touchdowns, three interceptions plus 1,100 yards, almost 1,200 yards. We lack in rushing at this point last year they had 1,024 and we're minus 402. So we're suffering in that aspect but there's a tremendous amount of positives that we must glean on with these young men because they're playing their butts off and I would like to reiterate today there's no quit in them. And that's one thing that draws me closer and closer to them and I love it. There is no quit in them. They have not shut it down. They're still fighting their butts off to the end."
On if the women's basketball team is coming
"They're coming and we should've played their theme music because they're balling. You know I'm a huge fan of their coach, Coach Payne. She's unbelievable just to see her do her thing and witness her practices. And then get instant and constant feedback from my daughter who's there and she called me late. I was already asleep. I was so tired yesterday and she just called me screaming in the phone so happy and excited and full of joy about that accomplishment. That is huge. We cannot underestimate what they just did. That was huge for the program, was huge for the university and women's basketball. Hats off to them. I wish I could have been there to witness it myself, but it was a blessing."
On turning negatives into positives
"Well, my life is positive. You got to understand I don't dwell on yesterday. Losses are hard to flush tremendously for me though, because I'm a bonafide winner. I'm a positive person throughout anything so I don't really dwell on it. I'm a natural fixer and I want to fix things, I want to make things work, I want to make things right, I want our fans to be pleased, I want our AD to be ecstatic and I want our kids to all go pro and be successful in some form or fashion and that includes winning."
On the defense being more productive
"Defense is always a little harder to get going than offense is. Because you're trying to stop somebody. It's like you trying to stop me from getting to that darn whiteboard and that's kind of tough. When you are the person that's offensive, usually you have much more success early on. The defense is getting it. They're understanding the scheme. They understand the expectation and they have constant consistent energy. Those guys are just built different, man. I love it. Not that they're built different than the total offense, just as as men as football players, they're tough nosed and tough minded. And when we get everybody on the same page, it's going to be extraordinary. I like what I see in practice. I like what I see in the film room. Even the mistakes we make throughout the game it's one guy here and there and we could correct that."
On momentum week-to-week
"I don't know if it's inside of the season, but it has a lot to do with opportunities. When you break it down and we broke it down and allowed the young men to see the multitude of opportunities there were defensively and offensively. And when you break it down and show them, okay, if we'd had done that we would've taken advantage of the opportunity. If we had done that we would have taken advantage of an opportunity and now it's a different score and it's a different scenario. So it's a lot of ifs after the game, but you got to show them how close they are."
On what he hopes to leave the fans with in last home game
"Positive hope. Positive hope that I wish you could only understand how close we are to being what we want to be and do what we want to do. Last week I think I said it, we got our butts kicked once. Everything else we had an opportunity to win. We gotta learn how to win, we got to seize the moments, we got to take advantage of the opportunities presented and we can't faint in the midst of adversity. We got to stand tall in the midst of adversity and we're learning that. That's a process that is truly as impatient as you are, and the young men in that locker room there are impatient as well but they want it. I can't say they don't want it, they truly do because they have not given up."
On the final season in the Pac-12
"We don't think about that, we could care less. Whoever's on the schedule we're going to play our hardest so we're going to play to win. We don't care what you call it, what conference you call it. I'm serious, I'm speaking for my staff as well as the young men that I coach. They don't care about the conferences they just want to win and play their butts off and prayerfully go to the NFL or be a professional in some form or fashion. They don't care what package you wrap us up in. I have not met a kid yet and I've been recruited for what four years now? Three and a half, four years. I have not met a kid yet to say, man that Pac-12 or that SWAC. Not yet. They're concerned about how much they're gonna play not the schedule but they want to go to the next level. They're not thinking about who they're playing against and what they're playing against and what you call it. I haven't caught a recruit yet for that."
On what the offense needs to adjust
"We did some positive things that you're one play away, you're one block away, you're one missed assignment away, you're one step too deep on a route, you're one drop away from accomplishing what you desire to accomplish. But we got to stop that. We got to have consistency and make those plays happen instead of allowing those plays to escape us. So when you're looking at film or you're gleaning from film, you're thinking about what you can do the next week. Yesterday is yesterday. What can we do now to make sure we don't miss those opportunities practice-wise, film study-wise and preparation-wise period. That's the thought process."
On recognizing the seniors
"Let me tell you who should be recognized. I mean, the seniors should be recognized. Great. But the darn scout team I want to recognize them this week, I really do. I want to recognize them in some form or fashion because they don't receive the handclaps, don't receive the fanfare, are not recognized publicly and they work their butts off and a majority of them are walk-ons. Some of them are scholarship players, young and trying to make their way or trying to see their way through but they should be recognized as well. But we're gonna give our seniors love and support wholeheartedly, but I don't think we have many that are going to be recognized."
On Jedd Fisch
"First and foremost, he's a really good coach. He's a really good person. I think we were together maybe in San Francisco, or something. I don't know. I'm just trying to make sure. I do remember his face and his name but he's been phenomenal. His coaching resume is suffice. I like him as a person, as a coach, as a man. What he's doing with that program is phenomenal. And I love everything he's doing and his kids are playing hard. They're not being penalized much and they're playing hard and they're making the plays that they need to make."
On if he looks at Arizona's program to learn from
"I really can't say I do. I would be lying if I do. I have so many people I can lean on. I mean just having wonderful talks with guys who have been in these situations. I think a couple of weeks ago, talking to Coach Johnson, Jimmie Johnson, he was phenomenal. I talk to Coach Zimmer all the time. Barry Switzer. There's so many guys that I could pull from and I do gravitate to them even guys that weren't head coaches, but they had positions not just in the NFL but in college football that I leaned on that you may not even know of. But they've been there and done that so I have a database of some lofty people that I could glean from. But he is definitely a guy that I admire and respect the heck out of what he's doing with your program."
On learning how to win
"Our team is learning how to be consistent and when you are consistent with anything in life, you're usually successful in that and we're learning how to be consistent in certain areas. You can see now the defense is propelling itself and they're more consistent in things that they were inconsistent in early in the year and I love that aspect of it. But that's what winning in life is about, is being consistent. We just gotta be consistent in the things that we desire to do well, and as of right now in some aspects of our game we're inconsistent."
On what he's learned as a coach
"Patience. Patience. Patience. Patience. You guys know I ain't perfect. I chase that and patience is everything. You gotta understand man, coming from where we came from I don't think we lost a regular season game in two years. In high school, shoot, maybe one in the last four years or three years. That's tough to be patient and understanding that this formula of winning you got to get pieces, everyone has to be all in. You got to paint the picture and they got to understand the portrait that was painted. You got to all be on one accord. That's wonderful."
On Shedeur handling pressure
"Shedeur is a pro, man. He's a pro playing college football. He knows how to handle you all, he knows how to take care of academics, he knows how to act in public. He has fun with the game. When he's holding up his watch and all that stuff that's fun to him. He's a kid. You guys try to throw adulthood on him and don't want him to enjoy his life and his game. You don't know him like I know him because I'm his dad. He's a great human being. He's really a great young man. He's good for the game. He's good for his teammates. He's good for college football. And the way he's handled that adversity that we're in the same boat we always won. So this is tremendously tough hitting this hurdle that we've hit. So I don't see him flinching. I don't see quit in him. I don't see any shutdown in him. He's studying and preparing just as he would any other time the same preparation when we were winning. He's getting more treatment because his body is tremendously sore. His body is tremendously sore because I know some things that he doesn't do that he's doing now to make sure he can get out there and be his best. So I'm proud of the young fella I really am. I'm proud of his brother on the other side too, as well. I'm proud of those guys as well as all other kids on the team but you asked me about my son so that's why I diverted to my sons because some people get the end of this and say why is he talking about his kids and not the team, I love all my kids."
Mark Vassett, Jr., Punter
On what this season has been like for him
"Yeah, it's been a it's been a lot of fun. I mean, my first two years at Louisville -- It's definitely a lot of differences being here. Every time you look at your fire, and it's all about Colorado, so it's pretty cool to see. Playing for this man [Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders] over here is pretty special. We always -- not joke but we always say he's more than a football coach. He really cares about us and he's he's more of a life coach. So he's getting us prepared for life after football too."
On how comfortable he feels in his role
"I've always been comfortable but I definitely have improved as the season [has] gone on. The thing about punting is -- a lot of guys have the big balls, but it's how good is your worst ball. That's what makes the great punters great and that's something I've been working towards every day."
On the special teams unit
"It's a great group. We have a lot of fun. [K Alejandro] Mata has been doing his thing, man. He's amazing. [K] Jace [Feely] has been kicking a lot of touchbacks as of late. Those guys are a lot of fun man and we have a great time of practice and we hang out outside of practice. It's a great group. I can't speak highly enough for those guys."
On pinning teams deep in their own territory
"Yeah, it is a lot of fun, but I actually don't practice those as much as you probably think. I mean playing Australian football all my life growing up -- that end-over-end punt just comes natural to me. I spend most of my week trying to perfect the spiral punting. Those are just easy for me -- placing the ball where I want to."
On being called upon in late-game situations
"Oh, yeah. Late in the game -- I think it was against Stanford. Two minutes left. I love being put in those moments. I just want to do my job for the team."
On if there are any players that have stood out to him on the punt team
"For sure. We've had several changes on the punt team recently with injuries. A guy like [C] Hank Zilinskas -- the o-lineman. He's been called upon to be a guard on the punt team. [He's] Done a phenomenal job man. There are serval other guys flying down the field making plays. I can't do what I do without those guys. So yeah, it's been great."
On taking pride in being a holder on the field goal unit
"I take a lot of pride in that. I want to play at the next level and as a punter, you really can't unless you're the primary holder. I kind of kick during a whole practice so when I'm not kicking, I'm working on holding. I definitely take a lot of pride in it."
On the support of his Australian Friends and Family
"Obviously, I love to rep [represent] where I'm from. I get a lot of support from backyard -- friends and family. They love what I'm doing over here. They really don't know anything about American football. They see the big crowds and they love it. It's cool to see so many guys that I trained with back home [and] play against them here and just see them all over the country doing their thing. It's really special."
On if he misses his old job working construction
"No. I do not miss construction. I'm working everyday here to make sure I don't have to go back to construction."
Players Mentioned
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