Deion Sanders called Carter Stoutmire the “future” of Colorado football while speaking to reporters about the second-year safety — who’s stepping into Shilo Sanders’ role following his forearm injury suffered against Nebraska.

“Carter is big, physical, can play corner, can play safety, can run and had a couple phenomenal open-field tackles (vs. Nebraska),” Coach Prime said of Stoutmire ahead of the 2024 Rocky Mountain Showdown against CSU (h/t The Coloradoan). “He’s the future. He’s a kid who went and got out of high school and he’s been doing a wonderful job.”

Deion played with Stoutmire’s father, Omar, on the Dallas Cowboys. Coach Prime was highly complimentary of the elder Stoutmire.

“His daddy raised him profoundly,” Sanders prefaced before saying, “We talk often, he (Omar) is one of my dearest friends. He played for the Cowboys with me and we lived right around the corner from one another back in the day. But Carter brings a lot to the table. He’ll complement Cam (Silmon-Craig) as well.”

As much as this writer wants to say that Sanders commenting on Stoutmire’s future is a good sign for Colorado, it probably doesn’t mean much.

Coach Prime is going to do what’s best for him, and sticking at CU will only happen if he feels there’s enough talent to win. That’ll be decided in the offseason when he hits the transfer portal and throughout the year.

Sanders will walk away from coaching altogether before he goes to another program. He’s not getting the autonomy he has anywhere else in the Power 4. But there’s a chance he decides to retreat to the Rocky Mountain foothills and calls it a career after two great seasons in Jackson State — the 2020/2021 season was shortened and isn’t counted — and two so-so seasons in Boulder.