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FRISCO, Texas — The Big 12 saved Colorado head coach Deion Sanders for last.

Sanders spoke at Big 12 Media Days at The Star in Frisco on Wednesday to round out the conference’s coach press conferences.

The former Cowboys star had plenty to say about Texas Tech’s recruiting and what he would change about college football, but declined to provide more details on his recent health issues.

Here’s everything Sanders said during his press conference at Big 12 Media Days:

On his strength dealing with adversity and instilling that mindset in his players

Sanders: “I never waver, I never say ‘why me?’ regardless of what’s ahead of me and what I see. Lord, just use me. If you can use anything, you can use me. I’m truly thankful, I’m truly a go-getter, I want to win at all costs, I want to win the right way, I want to set the right standards and I want to prepare these young men for life, not just football. I want them to be professional.

“Second of all, where’s Micael Irvin, playmaker? He came here with me today. Man, I love you to life, man. I just want you to know that. I just want to tell [you] in front of everybody, I love you to life. I really do. Thank you. Gonna make me cry up here. Thank you for being you, man.�

What have been the challenges with your health issues and what does an average day look like for you?

Sanders: “I’m really not going to tell you much, you know that. I’m not here to talk about my health, I’m here to talk about my team ...

“Every day I’m living good, I’m living lovely. God has truly blessed me. Not a care in the world.�

On his wide receiver group ...

Sanders: “They are unbelievable. They are awesome. I can’t wait to unleash them, they’re great. Now you’ve got to understand, they’re replacing some dogs ... I can’t wait until the world gets a glimpse of these receivers. We have some youngsters, from freshmen on up that can flat-out go get it. I’m proud of our recruits, our coaches. I’m proud of what we’ve brought into Boulder, Colo.�

You have two really talented quarterbacks [Kaidon Salter and Julian Lewis].

Sanders: “We brought both of them [to Big 12 Media Days] because I don’t know which one of them is going to start.�

Would you be comfortable with a situation where both quarterbacks played?

Sanders: “Yeah, as long as they’re doing their jobs and we’re winning. We definitely want to continue to develop [Julian Lewis], but Kaidon is unbelievable, Kaidon’s off the chain. He’s been there, done that. he can get the job done. I wouldn’t have brought him here if I didn’t trust him, but [Julian Lewis] is coming around the mountain when he comes. I love him, I love what he brings to the table. I don’t know how it’s going to play out. As long as it plays out, we can’t lose either way with either of those two.�

Have you been paying attention to what Joey McGuire and Texas Tech are doing in the transfer portal?

Sanders: “Joey’s got some money! Joey where you at baby?! Spending that money!

“I love it. I love it. Once upon a time, you guys were talking junk about me going in that portal, now when everybody’s going in the portal it’s OK. It’s cool when they do it. There’s a problem when I do it. Ain’t that a rap song?

“First of all, let’s get something straight, I love me some Joey McGuire. One of the best coaches in our conference. I’ve seen him excel from high school all the way to where he is now. He’s a winner and I absolutely love it. I love him because he’s a man of standard.

“We played [in Lubbock] last year and we were getting bombarded by those tortillas ... Joey grabbed the microphone and told them to stop throwing at us or there was going to be some consequences. I loved that and I love Joey.

�Joey, I know you’re out there, I love you, man. I appreciate you. Can you send a few of those dollars to us so we can get some of those players too?"

How do you go about building your program in an ever-changing Big 12 Conference?

Sanders: “I love our commissioner, I love our AD. They provided a luxury of growth, of unity and respect. Our long-term plans are to win. Our short-term plans are to win.

“I have a simple formula, it’s like 40-40-20. Transfers, grad transfers and high school kids. I stick to what we do and what we know for us. It may not work for somebody else, but it works for us, and it’s been working for us so I’m pleased with it.�

What can you say about what coach Kenny Dillingham has done at Arizona State?

Sanders: “First of all, coach Dillingham is unbelievable. He’s a dear friend, we go way back. I thought we were going to have the opportunity to coach together at one point. He’s excelled, man. What he did last season was un-darn-believable. I didn’t get jealous, I didn’t get sensitive, I was just proud of him ...

“Now he’s soaring. I’m just happy, man. I want to see everybody win, except when they play us.�

What are your expectations for Colorado this season?

Sanders: “We want to win. We want to win at all costs. We want to be in that [Big 12] championship game, not here at The Star but over in that other big house Jerry [Jones] built. That’s what we want to do. That’s what we’re geared up for. We play to win, we don’t just play to compete.�

On how he picks his theme music for the team ...

Sanders: “I gotta feel it. I gotta get a feeling for the team. I gotta get a feeling for how they move, how they work, what they want, they needs. See I’m old school, not an old fool. I’ve got to adjust to what’s now and what’s current.�

How significant was that 2023 win over TCU for your program?

Sanders: “It was everything. It was like the genesis of my coaching career in major college football. It was the genesis of seeing Travis [Hunter] and Shedeur [Sanders] and some of the players that we featured in our program. It was phenomenal.

“I’m excited about coming back to Texas to play because this is my second home now. I absolutely love it. They have a wonderful coach as well.�

What would you change about college football, if you could?

Sanders: “It’s gotta be a salary cap on this stuff, because this stuff has gone crazy. Nobody knows where it’s going to land, where it’s going to end. You have so many different doors. It’s like, I would see a player and see he got an offer from another school and I’m trying to figure out ... how is that possible when the guy isn’t in the [transfer] portal? How is that?

“Now if that was one of my players, y’all would be all over it. I’m trying to figure out how can somebody say ‘you’ve got a $5 million offer.’ How? And the kid isn’t in the portal. We need to be upright and upstanding.

“Secondly, I’d like the professional rules to be implemented in college. They’re getting ready to be pros, so let’s go two feet in...

“And let’s do something about the uniforms. We’ve got guys out there back in shorts. That makes me sick because I’m a football guy. I played this game at a high level and I have so much respect for this game. How can we allow guys out there in shorts? No knee pads, no nothing, literally pants up under their thighs and that’s cool. So I think there should be a fine implemented for that stuff and let’s have more respect for this tremendous game.

“Man, I could go all day when you talk about making changes, but we have a pretty good game, a darn good game. One of the best games in sports.�

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