At the end of Deion Sanders’ second year in charge of the Colorado Buffaloes, we can now say with certainty, The Prime Effect is real.

Sanders has revitalized CU football, brought a new energy to the university as a whole and made a huge economic impact on Boulder. And, as of last weekend, Sanders has helped bring one of college football’s greatest accolades to CU for just the second time with Travis Hunter’s well-deserved Heisman Trophy win.

After a truly unbelievable season, Hunter’s Heisman win was more or less inevitable. The two-way star played practically every snap on both offense and defense, making his junior year one for the history books. He amassed seven 100-yard receiving games, 1,152 total yards, 14 touchdown receptions — a CU single-season record — and four interceptions on defense.

Accolades have rightfully followed his achievements. The only uncertainty remaining is the question of No. 1. Will Hunter be the No. 1 draft?

(If anyone is going to snatch No. 1 from Hunter, it could conceivably be his teammate, QB Shedeur Sanders — yet another indicator of The Prime Effect.)

Hunter is the second player in Buffs history to win the Heisman, joining the late Rashaan Salaam, who won the award 30 years ago. The only caveat of Hunter’s win is that Salaam could not be there to pass the torch and celebrate this new era of CU football.

Equally as impressive as Hunter’s escapades on the field is his academic record in the classroom. The CU junior is sporting a 3.798, according to CU Boulder Today. After earning a 4.0 in the fall of 2023, Hunter earned first-team Academic All-American honors, making him just the second CU player to be named to both a first-team All-American and a first-team Academic All-American, and the first Academic All-American to win the Heisman since 2007.

Hunter’s academic success and reputation speak to one of our favorite things about this era of success for CU football: It has come without the accompanying dark side of the scandal-plagued early 2000s. At schools across the country, athletics programs have occasionally been found to be hubs of problematic, harmful and self-serving behavior. Sanders’ tenure has reaffirmed the truth that success on the field can be achieved in a positive environment that sets up student-athletes for success in life.

“We don’t only want to coach them, we want to mold them and mature them and love them,” said Sanders earlier this year. “We love these young men in a multitude of ways. Some of these young men have never heard that word from a man. So, it’s vital that they not only hear it but we show it.”

The Prime Effect has also radiated far beyond Folsom Field. CU’s enrollment figures have always been somewhat controversial, but there is no denying that a healthy university helps to keep our city healthy, and Sanders’ hiring has correlated with a sharp increase in applications. An even better number: Applications from Black candidates increased more than 50% from 2023 to 2024.

On top of that, in Sanders’ first season, Visit Boulder reported that the Buffs’ six home games resulted in an astounding economic impact of $113 million for the city. One can only wonder what the figures from this past, much more successful season will show.

The cherry on top of the 2024 season, though, is that it’s not over just yet. The Buffs are preparing for one final game, the Alamo Bowl, which will take place on Dec. 28 against 17th-ranked BYU. It’s the Buffs’ first bowl appearance in four years and likely their best chance at winning a bowl title in 20 years, despite the strong opposition.

But win or lose, the narrative unfolding around CU football has been a gift these past two years. Sanders has brought new life to a once-dithering program (the Buffs went 1-11 the season before he was hired), provided a tangible economic boon for our city, and helped the young men on the football team, led by Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, reach success both on and off the field.

Whether Sanders stays on for 2025 — or if the bright lights of the NFL or another top college contender lure him away — we can all be grateful for the reminder that Buffs football can and should be fun.

— Gary Garrison for the Editorial Board