Will Prime Hit the Portal Himself After This Season?

By Scott Salomon

Shelomi Sanders never sought her famous father's permission to leave Colorado and it rubbed him the wrong way.

However, it appears as though Prime is masking the bigger issue of whether this is going to be his last season in the black and gold of Colorado.

With Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders graduating to the National Football League after this season, and now Shelomi leaving Boulder for Alabama A&M University, could Prime use his soon-to-be empty nest as a reason to leave Boulder for greener pastures, or possibly a mere retirement?

The Hall of Famer has already announced that he would not follow his boys to the NFL following the season. However, he never said that he would not leave Boulder and return without them.

That could be a real possibility now that he has nothing to stay for. His kids are leaving and Prime has enough money to last ten lifetimes.

Does Prime really need the media scrutiny and the headache of going through a rebuild at Colorado? Maybe Prime should just retire and go fishing, which is one of the passions he has in life outside of his family and football.

Sanders' daughter Shelomi, who was a member of the Buffs' women's basketball team, recently announced her intention to transfer.

When Prime found out, he freaked out.

After initially calling his daughter's decision "stupid," he said that you find a team before you enter the portal. Forget the fact that for the first time in his mature daughter's life, she wanted to feel what it was like to be wanted by a school, to be recruited.

"You get a team before you enter the portal. That's what I would advise a child. I know it's illegal, c'mon, c'mon," Prime said. "Everybody knows somebody that knows somebody, that knows somebody. You kind of want them to do something.....and she truly has been advised."

Prime was a bit embarrassed and upset that Shelomi called her shot without seeking his fatherly advice.

"You have to understand. I am a real father; I am a real man and a real dad. Where I come from and historically, kids follow their parents," Prime stated emphatically.

"When do parents start following their kids? That doesn't work where I am from. I am the leader of the family. I have been dictating where my kids go, not them dictating where I go."

—Deion Sanders on his daughter transferring to Alabama A&M

Wow. This kind of makes Coach Prime a bit of a control freak.

He has already dictated which teams can draft his sons and which teams should stay away. Now, he is voicing his displeasure over his daughter leaving his school, and that does not sit well with him. This is not a good look for the Buffs' head man. He should let his daughter do what she wants, and he should support her decision accordingly.

"I tell them the truth," Prime said. "I tell them that I am a father, not a baby daddy. I pave roads for my kids. I build generational wealth for my kids. I lead my kids. I don't follow my kids. So, I do not plan on following them to the NFL."

When Prime left Jackson State for Colorado, Shedeur, Shilo, and Shelomi followed their star-studded father to Boulder and played intercollegiate sports. Shedeur and Shilo played football for their dad, while Shelomi played women's basketball.

Shelomi averaged 16 points per game at JSU but could never quite get on track at Colorado. She might not be cut out for the Prime Time and needed to be back at a smaller school so she could shine.

She is an adult and made an adult decision. Kudos to her for wanting to better herself and for making the best decision for herself.

Shelomi has not addressed the media on the topic, but her mother, Prime's ex-wife Pilar, let it be known that she is not happy with Prime's reaction and that she supports her daughter's decision.

"Stop talking about a present parent. Don't make me say more than I have to say. Stop talking about being a present parent," Pilar Sanders said.

"She's navigating through this transition seamlessly. It's not stupid. She's experiencing what it's like to be a wanted player, something she didn't get to experience before."

—Pilar Sanders on her daughter's choice to transfer to Alabama A&M

Pilar then commented that Shelomi left Colorado because "she was never given the chance to be recruited" because of who her father was. Shelomi just played at JSU because of her dad and then followed him to Colorado.

Shelomi wanted to feel needed and wanted, and she called her shot, entered the portal, and made the move to Alabama A&M. More power to her.

With all of the kids leaving the nest and Colorado football having its problems, could Prime really be looking for an exit strategy? Perhaps he wanted to keep a lid on it until after the 2024 season was over.

That appears to be the real issue, and only time will tell if he comes back for a 2025 campaign or whether he rides off into the sunset.