The entire Buffs community was waiting for an update on Deion Sanders\u2019 health, and last week, the head coach provided one. After leaving Boulder for his Texas home after spring practice for health-related reasons, Coach Prime returned for the Big 12 Media Days, looking considerably weaker. Last week, he told the media that he was diagnosed with cancer in the bladder and had to undergo surgery. The doctors present alongside him, to the relief of the entire CFB community, announced that Prime Time is cancer-free.<\/p>\n
The whole ordeal took a toll on the Buffs\u2019 head coach. He lost 25 lbs in an agonizing recovery process, the details of which he couldn\u2019t even share with his young kids. Since the announcement, we have seen reactions from his well-wishers. One such person from his 2024 roster also talked about Coach Prime.<\/p>\n
In a media appearance on August 3,<\/a> when Jimmy Horn Jr. was asked if he had a chance to speak with Coach Prime after the world found out about his cancer, he replied, \u201cI text him like every other week. I love you, coach. You know, just to check in with him. It might not be too long of a convo, but it\u2019s just them small little checkups, you know. That can mean a lot to him and me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a Buffs faithful, you already know about the bond between Coach Prime and Jimmy Horn Jr. In their 2024 roster, Jimmy was part of a powerful WR core in the offense. However, the relationship goes beyond the field. Jimmy Horn\u2019s father, who raised him alone, has been behind bars since 2021 on several drug-related offenses. Before that, Horn Sr. had done everything in his capacity to support his son, taking on odd jobs like truck driving and even hair cutting to make ends meet.<\/p>\n In this difficult time for his wide receiver, Coach Prime became a second father for Jimmy. He even accompanied Jimmy to visit his father in the prison and wrote a letter to the judge handling Jimmy Horn Sr.\u2019s appeal case.\u00a0\u201cI just wish to God you could see in your heart an opportunity that he could come out of incarceration and have a chance to resume his fatherly responsibility, in which he was very, very good at,\u201d he wrote. \u201cHe has repented of what has transpired, and he is truly a different man.\u201d<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n So, it\u2019s no surprise that the two talk every other week. Coach Prime\u2019s coaching style is unique. He wants to turn young athletes into gentlemen of tomorrow. And it\u2019s not just with words. It\u2019s through action also.<\/p>\n Coach Prime is more than a coach for young athletes<\/p>\n For many young athletes who sought more than just coaching on the field, Coach Prime has served as a father figure, besides being a coach. That job grew very personal for athletes like Jimmy Horn Jr. Jimmy asked Deion Sanders to lead him onto the field for one of the most significant moments of his football career, since he has publicly stated that he views him as a father figure.<\/a> Sanders acted without hesitation and said, \u201cJimmy is like my kid, I love him that much, we\u2019ve talked about some personal things throughout his couple seasons here. I want to go with him Sunday to see his father as well. But he just turned around and asked me. So that\u2019s how that transpired. And I said, \u2018You don\u2019t have to ask me twice. I got you. I got you.\u201d<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n