Deion Sanders hints at new Buffs uniforms with a sweet inspiration

Deion Sanders leading the Colorado Buffaloes has already had a giant impact on culture and its impact on fashion may just be starting.

A giant part of Sanders’ move from Jackson State to Boulder was his changing of allegiances from Under Armour to Nike. Prime had a very public falling out with Nike after a long relationship with the apparel brand and then joined Under Armour in a very fruitful relationship while pledging to never go back. Well Sanders did, and because he is back so too now is his signature shoe.

In the summer of 2024, Nike Sportswear will once more drop the Nike Air Diamond Turf Max ’96 “Black/Varsity Maize. The throwback gem is not Sanders’ signature shoe but is heavily associated with him.

“Oh, for real,” Sanders said on Tuesday of the news that the shoe is coming back.

Sanders’ blazing 4.2 40-yard dash was almost always found with that midfoot strap on his foot. The second edition was his staple during his Defensive Player of the Year campaign in 1994. The shoe has a similar legacy to that of the Penny and Pippen lines, as those two star athletes are also represented by different footwear companies now.

Prime Time! 😎

The Nike Air Diamond Turf Max 96, notably worn by Deion Sanders, is set to Retro Summer 2024💥 pic.twitter.com/BhPmQemB6J

— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) November 20, 2023

As soon as Sanders came to Colorado, many knew it meant a Nike reunion and a possible return of his Diamonds. LeBron James was one of the first to say he badly wanted the pair that Sanders teased on Instagram, and Kyler Murray teased a pair as well. This week, the company announced the relaunch of the shoe for 2024.

“Yes, that may be in the works, the black and white are the original, put a little gold check on it and we’re good. It will happen, it’s going to happen soon,” Sanders said of a CU color version of the shoe. “We’re happy with our newfound relationship with Nike and what they’ve done for this school. The new uniforms for next season are phenomenal they (the shoes) match the uniforms as well. All the skill position players will be wearing those cleats as well as the tennis shoe version. It’s going to be good.”

Colorado hasn’t had a full set of new uniforms since 2015, which is when they dropped the current set. Outside a few special releases mainly this year, the Buffaloes have been in black, silver or white tops with those three colors and gold as pants colors. They also had black, gold, silver and white helmets. Those jerseys are associated mainly with the 2016 Rise season.

Colorado has had a long-standing relationship with Nike and is one of the company’s signature “test schools” mainly due to the Buffaloes work on the track and in cross country.

A new set of unis inspired by the white leather base sneaker that is complemented by black nubuck panels, making for that distinct torn-like design that could look amazing with a splash of gold and Ralphie. The signature from Nike’s golden era, making a comeback in gold for CU’s era under Prime? It all seems too good to be true.