IT MUST BE THE MONEY! Coach Prime is definitely the HOT COMMODITY in college football today!

Colorado coach Deion Sanders has received a contract extension through the 2029 season after turning around a downtrodden program in just two seasons.

The school said the extension increases Sanders’ yearly base salary to $10 million this year, making him the highest-paid football coach in the Big 12. The deal was reached with three years remaining on Sanders’ existing five-year, $29.5 million deal he signed when he was brought in from Jackson State.

“Coach Prime has revolutionized college football and in doing so, has restored CU football to our rightful place as a national power,” athletic director Rick George said in the statement announcing the extension. “This extension not only recognizes Coach’s incredible accomplishments transforming our program on and off the field, it keeps him in Boulder to compete for conference and national championships in the years to come.”

Sanders and the Buffaloes are coming off a 9-4 season in which they earned a spot in the Alamo Bowl.

The Buffaloes are losing Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and Sanders’ sons, Shedeur — a projected high pick in the upcoming NFL draft — and Shilo. Next season will mark the first time in many years that Deion Sanders won’t be coaching one of his kids.

Sanders and his high-profile staff have assembled another talented recruiting class — from high school recruits to transfer portal additions. The headliners of the class are Liberty transfer quarterback Kaidon Salter, Alabama transfer defensive lineman Jaheim Oatis and Julian “JuJu” Lewis, a five-star high school quarterback who arrived on campus early to get a head start. Either Salter or Lewis figures to step in and take over for Shedeur Sanders as Colorado attempts to make back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 2004 and 2005.

With Sanders’ decision to stay put, the Buffaloes avoid all sorts of mass exodus — from the new fans and celebrities he’s attracted to all the media attention the Buffaloes have received. In addition, the high-level recruits who were lured to town by the presence of Sanders figure to be staying, too.

He’s certainly helped raise the profile of Colorado since taking over:

— 22 of Colorado’s 24 games have been selected to be on network television or the flagship ESPN.

— The two highest average home attendance seasons have been 2023 (53,180 fans) and last season (52,514).

A huge CONGRATULATIONS goes out to Sanders and his team and we look forward to seeing BIG THINGS popping up in Boulder for years to come!