Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders revealed the awe-inspiring message he shared with a struggling young receiver ahead of his game-tying touchdown Saturday.
Jimmy Horn Jr., a junior transfer from the University of South Florida, was “having a horrific game” Saturday, Sanders told the Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks on Wednesday.
“Celebrity Coach”
“Figurehead”
“All about himself”
“Circus”
You don’t know Coach Prime.
THIS is Coach Prime. pic.twitter.com/7qSVPCKfC8
— RK (@RyanKoenigsberg) September 21, 2023
Sanders told Rooks he pulled Horn aside during Saturday’s barn burner with rival Colorado State and told him his father — who Sanders said is in prison — was watching him in that moment.
“I said ‘Jimmy, you a dog,'” Sanders recalled. “‘You’re from Florida, man. And guess what? Pop is at the crib, and he’s incarcerated watching you right now. And he wants to clap in front of all his different inmates because he believes in his son. We gon’ make pop proud tonight, that’s what we gon’ do. Because his son is a DOG. Now you go out there, and show the world who you are.'”
And show the world he did. After struggling for much of the game, Horn caught a pass from quarterback Shedeur Sanders and turned it into a game-tying touchdown. (RELATED: ‘Thank You, Jesus’: Deion Sanders Nearly Breaks Into Tears After Shocking Upset In First Game)
1. Colorado WR Jimmy Horn Jr. ranks No. 1 in catches among Power 5 WRs (26).
2. CU WR Xavier Weaver ranks No. 3 in receiving yards (386) and No. 2 in catches among Power 5 WRs (25).
3. Coach Prime’s Buffs have two of the most prolific WRs in the sport.pic.twitter.com/wwi4JHfmqo
— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) September 21, 2023
Sanders credited getting to know his players on a personal level and relating with them for his team’s — and especially Jimmy Horn’s — success. “Just speaking life into Jimmy and understanding where he was, where he was located, I’ve been there. Because I sympathize and empathize with him, and I know his background and his situation, so I’m able to pull that intangible out of him, that I connect to him in a pivotal time like that,” Sanders said.
“And that’s why I got to know my kids. I got to know this team. I got to know them individually, as well as collectively,” he concluded.