The dramatic transformation Coach Prime has brought to the Colorado Buffaloes’ football program has drawn attention from across the nation, and now, CU’s head coach is earning praise from one of the sport’s all-time coaching legends — Barry Switzer.

“I’ve always known [Coach Prime] was going to a Power 5 school, especially with what he did at Jackson State. It was only a matter of time,” Switzer said, via an interview with FanNation’s Brian Schaible.

Swtizer’s confidence in Prime only makes sense. He’s known him as a player since recruiting Prime to join Switzer’s Dallas Cowboys back in 1995.

“What made him special was his athletic ability, but as a coach, he’s able to get the kids to buy into what he’s saying,” Switzer said. “That’s important as a leader and, in particular, a coach.”

That’s a sentiment that was echoed by Dylan Edwards, the top-rated recruit in CU’s 2023 freshman class, back in the spring.

“He doesn’t sell anything,” Edwards said when asked what made Coach Prime such a successful salesman. “Everything he tells you, it’s right here in front of you. He gives you the opportunity to make plays, and if you don’t make plays, that’s on you.”

Coach Switzer believes that Coach Prime will only continue to have tremendous recruiting success, both in the deep south territory the two coaches famously prioritized, and across the rest of the nation as well.

“I’ve never been in a home with him. But I can tell you the way presents himself to potential recruits and their family, who wouldn’t want to play for him?” He has a passion like none other,” Switzer gushed over his former player.

The magnetic nature of Coach Prime has already been paying dividends for the Colorado Buffaloes, and they haven’t even gotten to play a single football game yet.