One of the most intriguing stories off late involves the peculiar way in which Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders ranks his children.
Deion Sanders discusses ranking his kids: ‘I’m the only one that’s honest.’ https://t.co/m8gRR9wFX0 pic.twitter.com/TiREByWLg6
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 17, 2023
Throughout the years, Sanders has often referred to his children as the “top two” or “top three”. However, it was on Father’s Day last year when he unveiled an official ranking of all five children in a public Instagram post.
Since then, Sanders has continued to update these rankings. This Father’s Day, he placed his daughter Deondra at the top, and just recently, he used a now-deleted Instagram post to wish his son Deion Sanders Jr. a happy birthday, while simultaneously elevating him to the number one spot in the rankings.
Following the Buffaloes’ thrilling 43-35 double overtime victory over the Colorado State Rams, which featured a crucial interception from his fifth-ranked son Shilo, Sanders discussed these rankings during a postgame press conference.
He also touched upon Shilo’s rise in the rankings and reiterated that he does not provide any special treatment to his sons who play under him. Sanders even suggested that this trend of ranking children is common among parents, but they simply don’t publicize it like he does.
While it may be true that different parents have varying opinions of their children at different times, it’s unlikely that many of them post power rankings on social media.
It is worth noting that Sanders coaches in a sport that frequently releases arbitrary rankings on a weekly basis. Considering this, his occasional updates of his kids’ rankings may be seen as restrained.
Unlike having an entire TV show dedicated to it, Sanders simply shares his rankings on social media without elaborate explanations. Furthermore, one could argue that his methods of ranking are more accurate than the outdated BCS rankings.
However, Shilo and the other Sanders children should be mindful, as there may soon be a new addition to the power rankings. After the game on Saturday, rapper and Undisputed personality Lil’ Wayne led the Buffaloes onto the field, indicating that he may make his own mark in the rankings.
Sanders said “I love Lil’ Wayne like he’s my son.” So we’ll see if he winds up in future rankings.
