Deion Sanders is potentially going primetime, again.
The NFL legend, who has bolstered interest in college football and turned around the fortunes of the Colorado Buffaloes, is getting his own Entourage-style comedy.
Sanders, otherwise known as Coach Prime, is working with Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat and SMAC Productions, which is run by former NFL star Michael Strahan and Constance Schwartz-Morini, to develop a half-hour comedy about his life.
It will follow a Pro Football Hall of Famer turned rookie head coach as he juggles his celebrity status and soaring personal brand, while aiming to secure his legacy with a championship. It’s described as “Entourage meets the gridiron”.
Everybody Hates Chris co-creator Ali LeRoi will write and exec produce with Sanders, Strahan and Schwartz-Morini also exec producing alongside Kevin Hart, Bryan Smiley and Mike Stein.
Schwartz-Morini, CEO and co-founder of SMAC, which also produces Amazon’s Coach Prime, told Deadline, “This project is another prime example of how SMAC Productions/Entertainment leverages the extraordinary lives and passions of our clients and along with Coach Prime, we couldn’t have better partners in Hartbeat and Ali LeRoi.”
Sanders took over the Buffaloes and won their first three games of the 2023 season in epic fashion, a feat particularly given that the team went 1-11 the previous season. They have subsequently lost their most recent two games.
According to a Time report, which broke the news of the development, Sanders’ arrival and subsequent turnaround in team form has seen the school’s online team-store merchandise sales up 892% year-to-date over 2022 and its game against Oregon drew 10M viewers, one of the most-watched college games of the year.
Sanders is also the star of a docuseries – Coach Prime – that premiered on Amazon’s Prime Video in December and has been renewed for a second season.
During his time in the NFL, where he was considered one of the best cornerbacks of all time, Sanders played for the Atlanta Falcons, the San Francisco 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys, Washington and the Baltimore Ravens. He also played nine seasons in the MLF with the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves among others.