Tag: Rick George

Rick George: ‘We hope Coach Prime finishes his career here’

Rick George would like to see Coach Prime finish his career in Boulder

When athletic director Rick George decided to move on from former Colorado football head coach Karl Dorrell in October of 2022, few envisioned Deion Sanders would be the next man up to rebuild the program. But George made it happen and the Buffs are now enjoying success midway through Coach Prime’s second season in Boulder.

Colorado has captured the college football world’s complete attention and the wins are starting to follow. Coach Prime has rebuilt the Buffs’ roster to compete in the short term and is also making moves to keep Colorado strong past this season.

On Tuesday, George met with the media and shared his thoughts on where things currently stand with Coach Prime and the CU football program.

“We hope that Coach Prime finishes his career here,” George said. “I think he can do significant things for us long-term with longevity. For us, and I think coach would sit here and tell you that he and I are on the same page about where we want this program to go, it’s not a short-term fix. We want to set it up to be sustainable for the future. I think what he’s done has been incredible. I like the culture that he’s created. I see it on a daily basis with his student-athletes and his coaches. Like I said, I like where we’re at. We’ve got a lot to do still moving forward and we’re on the same page with that.”

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Colorado AD speaks on national ‘misperception’ of Deion Sanders during interview

In a recent interview, Rick George spoke on the “misperception” some people have regarding Deion Sanders

In a recent podcast interview with BuffStampede’s Adam Munsterteiger, University of Colorado athletic director Rick George shared his thoughts on dealing with the widespread perceptions of CU football head coach Deion Sanders.

Munsterteiger mentioned that with Colorado’s increased popularity, some national media members, including ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, have spoken negatively about Coach Prime and the Buffs. While the 11-year Colorado AD responded by saying the Buffs aren’t worried about others’ opinions, he agreed with Munsterteiger regarding the notion that many outside of Boulder have a “misperception” of Coach Prime.

Here’s the full quote from George:

“I think there’s a misperception about coach (Sanders),” George said. “If you know Coach Prime, he’s an incredible individual. He’s driven, he knows what it takes to be successful, he’s hired a great staff. We’re not going to make everyone happy, and that’s not our goal. Our goal is to focus on what we have in front of us, tune out all the noise that’s out there and make this program really great. I think Coach Prime’s going to do that. I think this is going to be a big step in that direction this year. Let the naysayers say what they want to say. We’re not listening to it; we’re just focused on what’s ahead.”

Colorado football’s second season under Coach Prime begins Aug. 29 against the North Dakota State Bison.

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Rick George appreciative of Colorado’s newfound ‘stability’ in Big 12

Rick George believes the Buffs have found “stability” in their new conference

In an alternative universe, there’s likely a desolate world where the University of Colorado didn’t act aggressively during the latest round of conference realignment.

Having Deion Sanders on CU’s side was certainly an advantage. However, little is guaranteed anymore in college athletics — just ask Washington State or Oregon State, who remain stuck in the dying Pac-12.

Fortunately, Colorado athletic director Rick George was once again agile enough to save the Buffs from disaster by securing a spot in the expanding Big 12 Conference. Fellow Pac-12 defectors Arizona State, Arizona and Utah soon followed suit, bringing the Big 12 to a seemingly secure state of being.

During last week’s Big 12 football media days, George had this to say about Colorado’s return to its former conference (h/t BuffZone):

“It’s great to be in a position where there is stability; we know where we’re going to be for (at least) seven years,” George said. “We’re excited about it.”

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Rick George sends lengthy message to fans regarding conduct during games

Colorado AD Rick George sent a lengthy message to fans in regard to their conduct, which included a plea to avoid rushing the field

Folsom Field has become one of the most electric atmospheres in college football quickly. So far, there have been two home games in the Deion Sanders era. The first was a win over Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the second was a double-overtime victory over Colorado State.

Next up is a massive showdown with the USC Trojans in the first (and last) Pac-12 opener for Coach Prime.

Ahead of the game, athletic director Rick George sent out a message to all ticket holders. In it, George pleaded for better behavior from the fans and asked them not to rush the field, something that college football is beginning to crack down on.

George mentions there have been a lot of complaints regarding fan misconduct, especially from the students.

With USC coming to town, things could get out of hand quickly, and George doesn’t want that to happen.

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Rick George not surprised that Colorado is ranked after one game

Appearing on The Jim Rome Show, Rick George gave his thoughts on Colorado being ranked after just one game

University of Colorado athletic director Rick George stood back and swung for the fences by going after Deion Sanders. Well, it worked, and Coach Prime eventually became the new head coach of the Buffaloes.

Then, after a stunning opening victory against TCU, George and Sanders embraced in a special moment, and you can tell that something special is brewing at CU, which is now ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25.

Ahead of Saturday’s Nebraska tilt, George hopped on The Jim Rome Show and was asked if he expected Colorado to be ranked after just one game.

“Yeah, I kind of did,” George told Rome. “He (Sanders) exudes that. He’s talked about winning and winning now and he’s put an emphasis on that. I’m not surprised that we’re having these conversations. The fact that we had 7.3 million viewers on the broadcast — the biggest week of “Big Noon” that they’ve had ever — just says there’s a ton of interest in Coach Prime and this university. I couldn’t be happier.”

It was a terrific start for the Buffs, and viewers tuned in everywhere to see what Coach Prime and the new-look Buffs could do in Week 1.

With the first home game at Folsom Field under Coach Prime coming up against Matt Rhule and Nebraska, ticket prices have skyrocketed and the Buffs are the biggest story in college football thanks to George.

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Deion Sanders, Rick George share emotional moment after Buffs’ big win

Deion Sanders and Rick George shared an emotional moment together soon after Colorado beat TCU

The Colorado Buffaloes were not afraid to show their emotions after  downing No.17 TCU in Fort Worth on Saturday. From defensive ends coach Nick Williams embracing Deion Sanders on the sideline to players celebrating, the Buffs were excited about their work in Week 1. But one special moment was captured at midfield after the game.

Athletic director Rick George has long believed in the vision Sanders has had for the program, and the two have been in lockstep since Coach Prime came to Boulder in December. Their hard work was shown against the Horned Frogs and the two shared an emotional moment together soon after the win:

While you can’t quite make out the words shared between George and Sanders, it was a great moment for CU football. Big things are ahead for the Buffaloes with these two running the show.

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Deion Sanders was ‘pushing’ for Colorado to rejoin the Big 12, says one head coach

Deion Sanders was reportedly “pushing” for Colorado to head back to the Big 12

Last Thursday, the Colorado Buffaloes announced that they would be leaving the Pac-12 to rejoin the Big 12 effective July 1, 2024. Colorado’s move and the conference’s struggle to complete a TV deal have had a domino effect on the Pac-12, leading to other schools making moves as well.

According to one ESPN report, Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders was impactful in Colorado’s move back to its old stomping ground. According to the report, one Big 12 head coach said, “Deion was pushing for it.”

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that someone with the profile of Sanders would do his best to pursue something he believed would be beneficial for his program. Colorado athletic director Rick George had the following to say about the move to the Big 12 and how it would positively affect what Sanders is trying to build in Boulder:

“I will tell you there’s tremendous benefits for being in the Big 12 for the direction that Coach Prime is going as it relates to recruiting,” George said. “Being able to play in Orlando against UCF, where he’s recruited very heavily. The state of Texas has always been a priority for us, and now playing four teams in that area… I tried to include all of our coaches in this, and Coach Prime certainly and I had conversations about this, as well as I did with other coaches.”

With Sanders now leading the Buffaloes program, Colorado has the ability to recruit nationally, and joining a conference where you can travel to states like Texas and Florida for competition will only help grow the Buffs brand.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

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Colorado athletic director abruptly leaves Pac-12 media day after George Kliavkoff presser

Kliavkoff botched the #Pac12 media rights part of his long-anticipated remarks. Colorado AD Rick George went to the airport.

A few big stories dominated Pac-12 media day. The biggest story, whether anyone likes it or not, was Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff doing a relatively poor job of handling the topic national writers and commentators were primarily interested in: the Pac-12’s media rights negotiations. Kliavkoff’s remarks suggested that the Pac-12 had arrived at a deal or was extremely close to nailing down a deal. When pressed to clarify his remarks, Kliavkoff said no one should read too much into them.

Kliavkoff perpetuated the story and added to the lingering sense of uncertainty in the conference, instead of finding a middle-ground way to say that progress had been made in negotations, but not enough to have a fully-finalized deal.

Anyone in the room in Las Vegas could see that Kliavkoff bungled this very important moment, the comissioner’s most public and prominent moment after several months of radio silence on the matter while he engaged in negotiations and held lots of meetings with the Pac-12 CEO Group.

One person who didn’t stick around for the rest of Pac-12 media day after the Kliavkoff press conference early in the morning: Colorado Athletic Director Rick George.

In this show at The Voice of College Football with host Mark Rogers, Tony Siracusa of Last Word on College Football reported that George went straight to the airport to catch a flight out of Vegas after Kliavkoff’s unpolished moment in front of the cameras and the press. It was the clearest and most visible sign that Kliavkoff did not perform well in this very public setting.

That was one big story. Get a look at other big stories from around the Pac-12 on media day, including hilarious and shocking quotes from Utah coach Kyle Whittingham:

PHOTOS: Rick George’s 10-year tenure as Colorado AD

Take a photographic look back at Rick George’s 10-year tenure as CU athletic director

Love him or hate him, University of Colorado athletic director Rick George is riding high after shocking the college football world last winter with his hiring of Deion Sanders. Yes, it’s still unclear exactly how the 2023 season will pan out, but George deserves a great deal of credit for putting the Buffaloes back in the national spotlight.

Outside of football, CU men’s basketball put together a respectable past decade and the women’s team has been revitalized under head coach JR Payne.

With George celebrating his 10-year anniversary as Colorado’s athletic director on Monday, take a photographic look back at his tenure:

Rick George praises Deion Sanders’ use of the transfer portal

Rick George gave his thoughts on how Deion Sanders has utilized the transfer portal this offseason

The Colorado Buffaloes have to thank athletic director Rick George for going all out to land Deion Sanders as the head football coach.

Ever since Coach Prime was introduced, the Buffs have landed top recruits, top transfer portal players and have formed a coaching staff with a number of big names. The spring game was sold out, season tickets are sold out and the national media is soaking up every ounce of Colorado football.

One of the biggest storylines has been the transfer portal with a flurry of Buffs players leaving, although Coach Prime continues to land big-name recruits in the process.

George recently opened up about Sanders’ use of the portal in an interview with Brian Howell of BuffZone:

“(The rules were) put in place so that coaches in their first year would have an opportunity to change their roster around and coach has done it,” George told BuffZone. “(Sanders) has gone out and got some really good student-athletes to fill those voids. I’m looking forward to the summer and the fall and how they’re going to build culturally and as a team heading into our 100th season at Folsom Field.”

It sure has been a busy time in Boulder and a lot of big names have joined, including two of Coach Prime’s sons, Shedeur and Shilo Sanders.

Is there risk to his approach? Yes. But after a 1-11 season, change was needed.

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