Deion Sanders has started something that Nebraska football should immediately copy

Anyone who has read my coverage of the 2024 season and how Nebraska football needs to approach this year knows that I am not a fan of Deion Sanders. Not even a little bit. I The Huskers have to beat Coach Prime and Colorado pretty bad.

I think Prime is one of the gentlest trainers out there. His ego writes checks that his team can’t cash. He’s a guy who likes to talk big and doesn’t seem to like that. when he is questioned or criticizedAnd I don’t think he’s a particularly good coach.

I say all this to preface this article because this weekend it was announced that Deion Sanders is doing something that is both commendable and brilliant. It’s something the Nebraska football team should emulate. Deion deserves a lot of praise for an idea that seemed silly from the start.

Last week, Sanders posted on Twitter that he was looking for a bank in Boulder that would like to “establish a relationship with some members of our team.” It seemed like an odd post at the time. But he was cooking.

It turns out that Sanders wanted to make a meaningful impact on the players on his team, who carry the responsibilities of being a father in addition to their duties as student-athletes, and he found a bench that was willing to do that.

The Colorado coach announced the relationship with his team this weekend, and the video of what he had in store was posted on social media.

“Having a child is not a mistake,” Sanders says in the video. “Having a child is an opportunity to let you mature, to let you grow, to let you develop, to let you learn some skills.”

He then explained that he had negotiated a special offer. In addition to the 5430 Alliance, CU’s NIL initiative, Elevations Credit Union also stepped forward and responded to Prime’s call.

The bank has set up a special 529 savings plan for each player on the team who has a child or is on the way, requiring an initial deposit of $2,121 (the amount was deliberately chosen) to open the account.

This is a great PR move for the CU coach, who has taken a few PR hits in recent weeks. But it is also a well thought out, well intentioned NIL idea that, to my knowledge, no other school has come anywhere close to implementing.

The Nebraska football program needs to take a similar step as soon as possible.