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The man who hired Deion Sanders to run the University of Colorado football team is set to resign.
Colorado athletic director Rick George announced Thursday that he will leave his position at the end of the academic year. He will remain at the university in a fundraising advisory role.
“After careful consideration and discussions with my family dating back to last spring, I have decided it is time for new leadership to guide the department,” George said in a statement. “I look forward to doing everything I can to ensure a smooth transition. I also wanted to time my announcement so that I can support Coach Prime and our football team this season, which I look forward to continuing in my new role.”
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New UC football head coach Deion Sanders and athletic director Rick George, right, talk at the Arrow Touchdown Club during a news conference December 4, 2022 in Boulder, Colorado. (Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
George has been Colorado’s AD since 2013 and made his biggest move at the position in 2022 when he hired Sanders. Sanders led the Buffaloes to a bowl game appearance in 2024, but will not play in a bowl game and will finish with a losing record for the second time in three seasons after a loss to West Virginia on Saturday.
Colorado is 16-19 since Sanders took over, including 3-7 this season.
“That’s not who we are. We’re better than that, and they deserve better than that. I want better than that. I feel like I’m a better coach than that. I feel like we have players that are way better than the production that we’re producing,” Sanders said after Saturday’s loss to West Virginia.
DEION SANDERS REVEALS BIGGEST SURPRISE AT COLORADO HOME GAMES: “IT NEVER FAILS”
Colorado Buffaloes athletic director Rick George, left, and head coach Deion Sanders as they arrive at Autzen Stadium before the game against the Oregon Ducks on September 23, 2023. (Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
“So you have to identify coachesThis is us, and it starts with me, because I feel like we have the core in the locker room that we should get this done. I don’t think we’ve faced a team as athletically and physically better than us. That’s really not the case, and I’ll leave it at that. »
Last year, Colorado went 9-4 and Sanders signed a Extension of $54 million over five years this puts him under contract until 2029.
George expressed confidence in Sanders earlier last week.
“I’m proud of Coach Prime. What he’s been through has been a tough year. He’s been a trooper, he’s worked hard, he’s motivating. He’s doing the things I want him to do as a coach. We just need to win more FB games,” George told reporters.
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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutiérrez)
In July, Sanders announced doctors had removed his bladder after discovering a tumor.
Sanders said there has been no evidence of cancer since that outbreak.
Doctors said a section of Sanders’ intestine was reconstructed to function as a bladder. Sanders questioned whether he would be ready to coach after his health scare, but he remains steadfast in his commitment to Colorado.
