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Sanders and Sitake hold each other in very high regard.
San Antonio isn’t usually known as the City of Brotherly Love, but it was on Friday morning ahead of the Alamo Bowl.
Colorado head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders and BYU head coach Kalani Sitake nearly spent the entirety of their joint press conference at the Alamodome talking about how much they love and respect each other as coaches.
“I love [Coach Sitake] in many facets,” said Sanders. “Not just as a coach, but as a man.”
Prime and Sitake don’t have a long history, never having coached against each other until the upcoming bowl game, but that hasn’t mattered to the leaders of the Big 12’s rising programs. The two coaches have become fast friends since arriving in Central Texas, building a strong bond in only a few short days.
“I have a great relationship with Coach Prime,” said Sitake. “I just have a lot of respect for what he’s done with his team.”
Sitake, who grew up watching Sanders lock down receivers for his favorite team as a 49ers fan, is now set to coach against one of his childhood heroes and new friend.
“I just really appreciate Deion being open and being so kind to me,” said Sitake. “I grew up watching him and cheering for him. I grew up a Niners fan, so I liked him better in that uniform than anything else.”
The most wholesome moment of the bowl game thus far came when the two teams went to SeaWorld San Antonio on Christmas Day.
“We were about to get on the roller coaster the other day and I was scared to death,” said Sanders. “I don’t do the rollercoasters but I was just trying to be a good father to these jokers. Travis [Hunter] talked me into getting on this darn roller coaster and [Sitake’s] guys were in line.”
Despite the bowl game and conference rivalry, Sanders offered an olive branch to the BYU players. That olive branch came in the form of a fast pass, as Sanders let the Cougars skip the line and ride the coaster with the Buffaloes.
“I told a couple of [BYU’s] big boys ‘c’mon man, we’re family,’” said Sanders “You know why I did that? Because of the love I have for [Sitake] and the support that he’s exuded to me.”
With kickoff only 24 hours away, the new coaches are going to have to put their newfound friendship aside and play a football game against each other’s squad. Regardless, witnessing Sitake and Prime become best buds over the course of 4 days has been one of the most heartwarming stories of the 2024 campaign for the Buffaloes.
by RylandScholes
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