BOULDER — Rick George hopes Deion Sanders isn’t hard to keep.

“We hope Coach Prime finishes his career here,” the CU Buffs athletic director said at a news conference Tuesday when asked about his football coach, whose squad is off to a 4-1 start. “We believe that with his longevity he can do significant things for us in the long term.

“For us, and I think Coach would sit here and tell you, we agree with the direction of this program.”

Sanders and CU are in the second season of a five-year, $29.5 million deal. Year 3 of this deal includes a renegotiation clause in which either side can request changes to things like salary or benefits.

If Sanders were to move on to another job after this season, he would owe $10 million Canadian. This number drops to $8 million after 2025 and $5 million after 2026.

Coach Prime has an 8-9 record in his first eight games at CU. The Buffs, who finished 4-8 last fall after a 3-0 start, host No. 18 Kansas State (4-1, 1-1) late Saturday night on ESPN. All of CU’s appearances this season were broadcast on national television.

“I think what he did was incredible,” George said. “I like the culture he has created and I see it every day in his student-athletes and his coaches. There is still a lot to do and we agree on that.”

Sanders has regularly been talked about by national pundits as a candidate for higher-revenue programs in the SEC and ACC – and particularly the two biggest programs in his home state of Florida and Florida State.

The Seminoles, where Coach Prime was a college player, are off to a 1-5 start. The Gators moved to 3-2 with a 24-13 home win over UCF last weekend. Sanders’ Buffs defeated the same Knights 48-21 two weekends ago in Orlando.