The mustache he wore at Big 12 media day in Frisco, Texas, this past week was an outward sign of the growth Alejandro Mata has experienced during his college years.

“I had to try something new,” the spirited kicker of the Colorado Buffaloes said. “My mom, she’s not a big fan, but I’m trying it out.”

More impressive than his new facial hair is the growth Mata has experienced during the past three years, with Deion Sanders as a mentor.

Born in Honduras, Mata grew up playing soccer and lived in Mexico and Brazil before his family moved to Georgia when he was in sixth grade. As a freshman at Buford (Ga.) High School, he began playing football and turned his success there into a scholarship at Jackson State, where Sanders was the head coach.

After Mata’s freshman year at JSU, Sanders took the head coaching job at Colorado and Mata came with him. This season will be Mata’s fourth with Sanders.

“That’s important to me, because I know that he knows what I need to do to get to the next level,” Mata said. “If I want to get there, I know that I gotta listen to him, I gotta follow him, and I gotta do exactly what he did. He already did what I want to do. He made the (NFL) for (14) years, he made the Hall of Fame, and that’s something I want to do in my life.”

Beyond football, Mata said Sanders has made a significant impact in his life as a father figure.

“As a person, definitely, I feel like I’m a better man because of Coach Prime and all the preaching that he does, and all the team meetings that we have with him,” he said. “I’ve definitely learned how to be a better man, how to be a better son, how to be a better brother, better cousin. I’m more than thankful for that.”

Along the way, Sanders has trusted Mata, to the point that he sent him with four other players to Frisco to represent the Buffs at media day.

“Oh yeah, it means a lot, that’s for sure,” Mata said. “Being hand-picked by Coach Prime is definitely a big deal. I love doing it. Any type of media, I love doing it, whether it’s podcasts, radio shows, interviews; whatever it is, I’m always open to do it.”Much of the trust was developed off the field, but Sanders also has supreme trust in Mata on the field. The 5-foot-9 Mata doesn’t have the strongest leg, but he’s got top-notch accuracy.

Mata hit 12 of 13 field goal attempts at Jackson State in 2022. In two seasons at CU, he has hit 22 of 27, a success rate of 81.5% that is on track to be the best in Buffs history. The current record belongs to Jeremy Flores, who made 76.9% of his field goals (20-of-26) from 2000-01.

Mata said closing his career with the accuracy record at CU would mean a lot.

“Oh, yeah, for sure,” he said. “You know, any record that I can get, I’d be more than happy to get.”

Coming into this season, Mata is tied for ninth in CU history in career field goals made (22) and he ranks 10th in career kicking points (147).

The longest field goal Mata has attempted is 48 yards, and the longest he’s made is 47 yards. CU signed Buck Buchanan from Louisiana Tech to handle kickoffs and long field goals, but Mata said he’s been working this offseason to prove he’s got more power than people think.

“Definitely my diet, it starts there,” he said of his offseason work. “My power, as well, because I know that’s been up in the air on how much I can actually kick and what’s the max distance. So I want to show people in-game that I actually can kick 50-plus, because I’ve been able to do it for the longest time, but I just want to be able to show it.

“I know that I have the accuracy to make it to the NFL, but I’ve got to be able to show that I have the power as well.”

That’s all part of the growth Mata believes he’s experienced during his career and heading into his senior year.

“I’m so excited,” he said. “Definitely, it’s a different feeling going into every season, but this one definitely feels different, just because I feel like I’m more prepared. It’s the last one, so I gotta get ready.”