Brian, how are you? And thank you for sharing information with the world, man. I'm good and I appreciate it. It was nice to get it out there because it's been something that Buff Nation's been waiting on for months. So it's nice to have that done and off the plate.
Well, most certainly. You think about just a few months ago there was so much conversation about what Deion was going to do with two of his best players and his son leaving. You know, was he going to coach the Cowboys? He had the conversation with Jerry Jones. How long has something like this been in the works? Are we talking post Jerry Jones conversation or was this always kind of a possibility before that? Yeah, I think it's always been a possibility. I spoke with the athletic director in December even before their bowl game with BYU and asked him about a contract extension. He said that they were talking at that point, but that they would probably get to that more after the season. So it's been something that's been a topic between the two of them and their representatives, of course, for months.
But I think that there was a lot of things that happened, obviously, and it took a long time to kind of get this worked out. Well, without a shadow of a doubt, Brian Howell is here with us covers the Colorado Buffaloes. We know the economic impact that Deion Sanders has had for the university, the area of Boulder. He's just touched upon everything.
Exposure, prime time has come up to the mountains. Now, having said that, everybody in the area, he's a star, right? Nobody looks at him and just go, are people surprised he's sticking around at this point? I think there's mixed.
Personally, I am a little bit. There's some Buff fans that have said, oh, I never thought he would leave. He's always said that, but coaches always say those things and we know how the sports world works. I always thought that it was a two year deal and that we would see him leave. And so I'm wrong.
I'm happy to admit I'm wrong, but I think that he surprised me a little bit on that. But, you know, once it was clear he was going to be staying for this year, I think a contract extension and raise seems pretty inevitable. And I expected that to happen at some point this offseason.
Well, Brian, let me ask you about this year. This is going to be his first year as a coach where his sons aren't going to be out there. There's no Travis Hunter that he brought over as well from from Jackson.
What can we expect from this team going forward? I mean, Julian Lewis is supposed to be a big deal. Is he going to be the starting QB? Well, I don't know because they brought in Caden Salter who started Liberty. He was the Conference USA MVP in 2023 when Liberty went 13-0 in that regular season. He fell off a little bit last year as Liberty did, but he's a really good player and he came here with just one year left.
So it's the two of them really competing for that job. And I think that Caden Salter wins the job just kind of having the age on Julian Lewis. I mean, Julian Lewis is, you know, he's supposed to be a junior in high school right now.
He graduated a whole year and a half early. So he's got a lot of time left, but he's super talented. So I think either way, they're going to be a really good quarterback. They're not going to have, I mean, I'm biased.
I think Chidoor is the best in the country. They're not going to have the best quarterback in the country, but I think they're still pretty good at that spot. But before we get on to Chidoor, when you take a look at this team, the first year they started off hot and then they fell off. Last year, they were able to kind of increase the wins and get to a bowl game. What's the expectation this year for them to take a step back? Like, what should we expect?
Well, you know, you ask them obviously and the expectation is to keep it going. I mean, there's plenty of people around the program that think they're going to be better than they were last year. I'm one that's skeptical on that. I mean, it's hard for me to think you're going to be better when you lose Travis Hunter and Chidoor Sanders. But I think that they're certainly building a program more so than they have in recent years and on a previous staff. So I think there's a better foundation there than there's been in a long time. And I think they've got a lot of good young players and they've got some nice transfers that are coming in. So I think there's that potential. I mean, it wouldn't shock me if they won nine games again and competed in the Big 12. But I still think that the floor for this team to me is a bowl game.
Brian Howell covers all things Colorado Buffaloes. You mentioned Chidoor. You said you feel that he's the best quarterback throwing the rock right now in the country coming out of college. Why him over Cam Ward? I just think his experience and Cam's got a lot of it as well. I think they're the two most experienced quarterbacks coming out of college ever. I think the number of passes they've thrown makes them the most experienced quarterbacks ever. But I think Chidoor is just his experience not only playing the game but growing up how he did with his dad being Deion Sanders and learning for a number of years now.
There's Tom Brady and all these pros. I think he's gained so much knowledge of football that to me he's just a seasoned veteran. I think he's ready for really any situation he goes into. Not that he's going to be dynamic and great all of a sudden as a rookie, but I just think that he's one that has star potential in my opinion. I think he's going to be really good. Brian, there's a lot of negativity that's been thrown his way stemming from his lack of participation at the combine and how serious he is.
This is all just a lot of nonsense, right? You had a chance to see the guy up close and personal for two years. What do you think about him personally? Yeah, I like him a lot personally.
I think that wherever he goes, I think that town is going to really like him and embrace him. I think he's a fun guy. I think he's got a good personality. I think he's a really good character guy.
I don't know why there's questions on his character. I think you talk to teammates and anybody that's ever been around him and they really like him. His teammates talk about how good of a teammate he is. I think the media that covers him is going to like him as well.
He's just a good personality. I think he's going to be good wherever he goes and because of that, he can adapt to any situation. His future situation is unknown. Do you have any insight as to where he might want to end up?
No, not really. I haven't talked to him since the Alamo Bowl. What they've said recently is, hey, we'll go wherever.
I believe that with them. I think there's probably certain teams that they might have on a wish list, but I do think that Chidoor is confident enough in himself that he could go to the worst team in the league and believe in himself to turn it around. Because he went to Jackson State, who was a losing program, and turned them around. He came to Colorado, who was the worst program in the country, and turned them around. I think he's supremely confident in himself that whatever situation he goes to, he'll succeed.
So where do you think is best? Because it can't be a team like the Browns, right? No. I mean, why not, right? I don't watch the NFL as much as college, so I can't really say as far as the roster makeup and things like that. I just know Chidoor, and I know that wherever he goes, I think he's got a chance to be very successful. I think every NFL team has got good players, and so I think that if he's surrounded by some good players, and he's got a good offensive line that can protect him, and an offensive coordinator he gets along with, I think he's going to be really successful. Someone else who we expect to be very successful is Travis Hunter, who's moving on as well.
You mentioned him. Where do you think he is best served to fit on both offense or defense primarily? I think anything that drafts him that doesn't use him on both sides is hurting themselves. I think he's that good, and I don't know if I would play him full-time on both sides, but I think that if you don't use him on both sides, I think that's a shame, and I think that you're hurting your own franchise. Personally, I would probably look at him as a full-time corner and someone as a spot receiver that I want in there on offense throughout a game.
It may not be every single snap, but I certainly want him having the ball in his hands. Brian Howell here with us as we start to wrap up. Deion signed this extension.
You broke the news. Do you think we'll see him all the way through 2029, or is there still a possibility he might say, I'm gone, I'm going to the NFL? Yeah, there's always that possibility. Look, I told you that I thought it was going to be a two-year deal and he's gone, so I don't know if he's going to be here another five years. I certainly think he's going to see it through for a little while and try to build this thing to where they can be a championship contender, if not winner. I could see him being here another two, three, four years. I don't know if he'll be here five, but he always says he loves it here. Frankly, everything he has said has come true, and so far be it for me to say, nah, that's not true. He's lying on that one. It's amazing when you go back and look at everything he says, like, oh yeah, that came true.
If he says he loves it here, I'm going to go with that. Have you noticed any changes in how he interacts with the media, the public? Has he been the same dude since he showed up from day one?
Yeah, I think so. I think that with anybody, certainly the longer he's been here, he settles in and you get more comfortable with it. We certainly saw that with Chidor. He was much more comfortable year two than he was year one, just because Colorado was now his home. I think he's always been pretty comfortable. He's just a guy that I think has been comfortable in his own skin for 30, 40 years. Since the spotlight has been on him, he's really just been that guy. He knows who he is and he's comfortable with that. Well, not a shot of a doubt. Real easy to be comfortable knowing you got $54 million coming your way for the next couple of years if you want it, Brian.
That's the easy stuff. Brian, I appreciate you coming by. Go ahead.
Not to mention all the commercials we see him on every day, right? Oh my God. You going to make me count now?
Let's go. Is it Affleck? Affleck, right?
That's one. KFC. Oh, he's in a KFC commercial too?
Oh yeah. The whole family's in KFC commercials. You got Affleck, you got Blenders, Sunglasses, California Almonds, and it's all over the place. Oh, maybe I need to... Hey, I don't watch the commercials.
I try to kind of change the channel on that one. Oh man, he's selling all that stuff? Wow. Yeah, that's your weekend project. Count all that up. Yeah, I will.
I'll see how many Dion commercials come on during March Madness. Hey Brian, thank you for the time. Tell everybody where they can follow you and all of your work. Yeah, just check us out at BuffZone.com or DailyCamera.com and I'm on Twitter at BrianHowell33. Yeah, we appreciate you for bringing great news.
And not negativity, Brian. Thank you so much. You bet. Thank you.
