Primetime has given the University of Colorado Boulder a facelift over the last two years.
Deion Sanders has reinvigorated Colorado football since stepping foot on campus, and now another big change is on the way.
Sanders has been the head coach at Colorado for two seasons, now going on his thirdGettyFolsom Field, home of the Buffaloes, will be changing from natural grass to artificial turf, ahead of the 2025 season.
The reason for the change, as with most things, can be traced back to money.
Colorado has played on natural grass the last 26 seasons, since 1999, but now with new bills to pay, most notably the salaries of Sanders and the new revenue-sharing opportunities for the players, the change to artificial turf makes the most sense.
That’s because the school’s stadium can now do more than just host college football games.
Colorado insider Brian Howell told 365 Sports that one of the main reasons for switching to a new playing surface is so that the university can host musical concerts during off weeks, without destroying the field.
“And the big reason is they can host concerts at Folsom Field,” Howell said.
“As you guys know, with the way college sports are changing, they’ve got to come up with money to pay the players. And frankly, they’ve got to come up with money to pay Coach Prime.
“Between the $20.5 million to pay the players and another $5 million a year to Coach Prime, that’s $25 million a year CU’s never had to pay before.
“This allows them to host concerts, it’s not going to tear up the grass, and they can’t play a football game a week later.”
However, this change isn’t new to Colorado.
Folsom Field has been around for over 100 years, having opened in 1924 Sanders has made Colorado football relevant for the first time in a long timeGettyBefore 1999, they played on turf from 1971 to 1998, which just so happened to coincide with some of the most successful eras in Colorado’s football program history, that included the 1990 national championship season.
Sanders and the university will be hoping to find that magic once again.
The new turf also helps Colorado meet the necessary requirements for hosting a College Football Playoff game if/when they get the chance to do so.
That will only help the school’s revenue in the long run.
The House v. NCAA settlement that was decided early this spring has provided a salary-cap-like ceiling of $21 million for athlete compensation across all sports.
It is a massive change for the college landscape that will have major ramifications not only in the short term but in the long-term future for universities across the country.
For Colorado, while the Primetime effect has been real in terms of ticket sales, merchandise and broadcasting revenue, there is still a hefty bill to be paid.
Coach Prime isn’t cheap.
He signed a five-year, $54 million contract extension back in March that includes a major salary bump each year.
His annual base salary is set to rise from $10 million in 2025 to $11 million in 2027 and 2028 and reach $12 million in 2029.
It’s a new era in college athletics, and schools across the country are turning over every stone to see where they can maximize and take advantage of any additional revenue.
And for Colorado, that stone was Folsom Field’s playing surface.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( ‘Never had to pay’ – Colorado unveils bold 26-year change to stadium to fill $25m Deion Sanders void )
Also on site :