Ann Elliott Whidden a Fan of Deion Sanders' Energy and Support

Don’t expect Colorado women’s lacrosse coach Ann Elliott Whidden to sport a gold-plated whistle necklace anytime soon — but the only coach in Buffaloes history respects the work of the only person on campus who can currently pull it off.

Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders has taken college football and the Colorado campus by storm, turning a 1-11 program into a team that, at the very least, is going to be competitive in most games. The interest is there, too, with Colorado setting a spring game attendance record and seeing over-capacity crowds at home, according to Sports Business Journal.

It all makes for a fun environment on campus, Elliott Whidden said.

“There’s such an energy to Coach Prime in general,” she said. “He brings so much with just who he is to the public. … It’s just this renewed sense of belief that our athletic director has always had. He’s always believed in Colorado and pushed us to that standard.”

Exposure alone carries quite a bit of weight in terms of how Sanders’ presence at Colorado will indirectly help the women’s lacrosse program. There’s certainly the potential for more money to flow through athletics, too, though it’s not as if the department is reaping the benefits of that just a few games into his tenure.

Sanders is supportive of the other programs on campus, further amplifying the exposure that comes with having Coach Prime around. Elliott Whidden said she’s seen him at soccer and volleyball games, and she hopes to get him out to a lacrosse practice once he has time.

“He’s everywhere,” she said.

In January, just about a month after he was hired, a video surfaced of Coach Prime riding a bike to the Buffs’ indoor facility while Colorado was scrimmaging Northwestern. He, of course, picked up a stick and tried his hand at the sport.

Then, a few days later, Sanders mentioned his experience at a press conference.

“That was beautiful,” Sanders told reporters. “And I actually picked up a stick and threw the ball. I should’ve got into lacrosse like Jim Brown. I think I would’ve been nice with it.”

Sanders has been a fixture in national sports media this college football season, and spectators seem to be split on his coaching style. Consider Elliott Whidden a fan.

“As a coach that’s been around, I’ve seen athletics change, and there’s something refreshing about the belief and the accountability and how that goes together,” she said.