There is no bigger coaching name in college football right now than Deion Sanders, and there is no bigger organization in the NFL than the Dallas Cowboys.
So, could football fans see the two come together again? According to another Cowboys legend, it's possible.
The Cowboys' head coaching gig is one of the hottest topics in the league right now. Current Dallas boss Mike McCarthy is all but assuredly out the door with his contract expiring at the end of the season, and given the team's immense disappointment this season, it's hard to see a reality where he comes back.
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There have been a number of high-profile names thrown around for the soon-to-be vacancy, but Sanders is a candidate to potentially make the jump from college to the pros. He's in his second season with the Buffaloes and is trying to get the program into the 12-team College Football Playoff. With it being the final season in Boulder for Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, there's a chance "Coach Prime" heads to his next destination as well.
If Hall of Famer Michael Irvin is correct, that means he'd be heading back to Dallas, where he spent five seasons with the Cowboys as a star cornerback.
How realistic is that scenario? Here's what to know about Sanders to the Cowboys.
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Would Deion Sanders become next Cowboys coach?
Irvin appeared on Colin Cowherd's FS1 show, "The Herd," on Tuesday, and he dropped a spicy tidbit about Sanders and a connection to the Cowboys. The former Dallas wide receiver said the Colorado coach "100 percent" would accept the head coaching job with the Cowboys if offered to him — on one condition.
The caveat to Sanders' hiring is that Dallas would have to draft his son, Shedeur, to take over at quarterback.
"I can tell you, good sources have told me that," Irvin said to Cowherd. "Great sources have told me that."
Michael Irvin says Deion would accept the Cowboys job if they draft Shedeur Sanders.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 19, 2024
"100%. And I can tell you, good sources have told me that. Great sources have told me that." pic.twitter.com/RqgZbBGBjB
Before the season, the Cowboys never would have been a team considered to be in the running for a top pick in the draft. Sanders is in line to be one of the first quarterbacks taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he likely won't be waiting long to hear his name called.
However, Dallas sits at 3-7 heading into Week 12 and is right in the line to finish with a top-10 pick. The organization currently would own the No. 9 pick in the draft.
Irvin isn't the only one drumming the "Sanders family to Dallas" beat. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith previously said Coach Prime, along with Shedeur at quarterback, is the answer to fixing Dallas' problems.
MORE: Rumors suggest Deion Sanders, Bill Belichick favorites for Cowboys coaching job
"To me, Prime Time Deion Sanders is the Coach of the Year, I'm thinking about Travis Hunter as a leading candidate for the Heisman and I'm gonna take it a step further. Are you ready for this, Paul? I'm gonna make people very, very uncomfortable," Smith said.
"I believe that the Dallas Cowboys should tank the rest of the season, get the No. 1 overall pick so you can draft Shedeur Sanders, and by the way, hire Prime Time Deion Sanders as your head coach for the Dallas Cowboys. I think that should be Jerry Jones' master plan.
"That's right. I said it. Hire Prime Time Deion Sanders, you gotta tank the season to make sure you can get his son as your quarterback. OK, and you move forward that way."
"I believe that the Dallas Cowboys should tank the rest of the season, get the No. 1 overall pick so you can draft Sheduer Sanders and ... hire Prime Time Deion Sanders as your head coach."
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 11, 2024
—@stephenasmith 👀 pic.twitter.com/4ZQuLptwM6
What did Jerry Jones say about Deion Sanders?
Speaking on 105.3 The Fan for his customary weekly radio hit, Jones waxed lyrical about Sanders' recruiting skills. However, the 82-year-old was quick to pump the brakes on any talk of Sanders taking his talents to the next level.
"I think we're way ahead of ourselves relative to when and if he decides to go into coaching in the NFL," Jones said on Thursday.
"One of his greatest skills, that he really brings to college, is that he almost has no peer as far as being a recruiter. Kids want to come play for him. And he has a way of selling that."
Jones noted that such a talent didn't hold quite as much weight in the big leagues.
"That is one skill, that recruiting skill, that is not a huge prerequisite for NFL coaches," Jones added. "One of his greatest values is in that area of putting the team together and getting great talent to come play for him there at Colorado.
"All of that would go into your mind. But make no mistake about it, he's one of the top people, young and old, that I've been around in the NFL."
Sanders seems fairly satisfied with his current post. On Tuesday, he was asked about his thoughts on Irvin's comments. Sanders was adamant that he isn't leaving Colorado any time soon.
"I'm happy where I am, man," Sanders told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg on Tuesday. "I've got a kickstand down. You know what a kickstand is? ... That means I'm resting. I'm good, I'm happy, I'm excited. I'm enthusiastic about where I am. I love it here, truly do."
"It says a lot about what we plan on being and the stability that we're going to be here for a while," Sanders added. "We ain't going nowhere. We're about to get comfortable."
QB Julian Lewis, the No. 2 player in ESPN's Class of 2025 rankings, announced his commitment to the Buffaloes on Thursday, lending further credence to Sanders' claims.
Of course, no decision will be made for months. McCarthy is still the head coach as the Cowboys have seven games left in the 2024 regular season, while Colorado is in the thick of a close race to get into the College Football Playoff. Perhaps even more important, what Dallas would do with the highest-paid player in NFL history, QB Dak Prescott, is an angle no one has bothered to work out.
But where there is smoke, there's fire, and Sanders' name is certainly one to watch out for when it comes to Jones' next selection to lead the Cowboys.
