CSU’s Jay Norvell still doesn’t have any love for CU’s Coach Prime

The Rocky Mountain Showdown got a little spicier last season when CSU head coach Jay Norvell made some controversial comments before the game.

Norvell said things on his radio show that CU head coach Deion Sanders didn’t like, and ultimately used as fuel before the game.

“I sat down with ESPN today and I don’t care if they hear it in Boulder,” Norvell said. “I told them I took my hat off and I took my glasses off. I said when I talk to grownups I take my hat and my glasses off. That’s what my mother taught me.”

That was clearly a shot at Coach Prime usually wearing a hat and sunglasses, even when he does interviews. Sanders responded by giving out sunglasses to troll Norvell. He also thought it was a shot at the way his mother raised him.

The Showdown lived up to the hype, an epic 2OT thriller that the Buffs eventually won 43-35. In the postgame handshakes, Norvell tried to tell Sanders the line wasn’t about his mother. Coach Prime said he didn’t believe him.

Well flash forward to this year, and the game will be in Fort Collins in mid-September. At Mountain West media days in Las Vegas, Norvell was asked about Sanders, and offered a bristly response.

“I don’t have any feelings for Deion Sanders, I really don’t,” Norvell said when asked if his relationship with Coach Prime has changed. “I don’t think about Deion Sanders unless you guys ask me a question about him. No, nothing’s changed.”

Rather than try for a fresh start in 2024, Jay Norvell isn’t backing down. You can’t blame him, and ultimately it’s good for the rivalry. There is supposed to be a little sports hate between the two schools.

“We get to get ‘em in our stadium this year. It should be a great atmosphere. People are excited about the game, we’re excited about the game. It should be an incredible night,” Norvell added.

This year’s version of the Rocky Mountain Showdown is slated for Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN.

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