Deion Sanders likes where his Colorado team is at with the season on their doorstep.

After months of anticipation building for Coach Prime’s debut with the Buffs, it’s finally game week. Sanders held his first game-week press conference of the season on Tuesday where he previewed TCU, position battles across the depth chart, and his team’s preparedness for the new year.

Here’s what he said, with select quotes below:

On TCU

“First of all, great coaching. Great coaching, great staff. They did the unthinkable last year and I’m proud of them.

“They lost a lot of men that really (are) good football players and they replaced them with pretty good football players. One thing about that team and their head coach, they will be prepared. They will be fundamentally sound. They will come out emotional, play with emotions trying to atone for last season and the way that ended. But, man, this team is a good football team. I’m happy with our opponent and I can’t wait to get in there and see how we stand up to the challenge.”

On OL Tyler Brown being ruled ineligible

“Yeah, that hurt. That hurt tremendously. He’s a kid that is dear to me, like a darn son to me. This is one of those moments where one side of me is saying, ‘Shut up, Coach.’ The other one’s saying, ‘Go get it.’ I’m gonna go get it.

“Tyler Brown is a wonderful kid but he deals with a lot of issues inside and he’s seeing specialists and seeing people to really deal with these issues and calm these things down. So, I’m very privy to him.

“It don’t make sense. Some things just don’t make sense. You (the NCAA) say you care about mental health but when you have someone really dealing with mental health, there’s a problem. And then ostracizing him and not allowing him to do the thing he’s blessed and gifted to do and presents him peace, that’s trying for a young man.

“He’s not the only one. There’s a plethora of people around the country. I think this was the year they said no to darn near everybody. I wish they could review that and really understand that. I think he made a video that was sent to the NCAA. I want you guys to get that video. Please, do that for me. Watch it then tell me how you can say no to this kid.

“It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? It’s like, wow. Do you really care or are you just saying you care? Or do you care only when it’s convenient? Or when it’s profitable?”

On whether he worries about his players being too tight, or too loose for the opener

“I don’t know what too tight or too loose means, really. Practice-wise, man, these guys have been getting after it. I’m proud of them. They’ve been working their butts off and they’ve kind of challenged one another to do so.

“Our morning message this morning really wasn’t me talking at them, it was them telling me what they need to do to be dominant in this game. Everything they said we wrote on the board and then we said, ‘OK, now go out in practice and do it. Don’t wait until Saturday to do it. Do it now.’ I’m happy with our young men. I really am.”

On the status of RB Alton McCaskill for the opener

“He tried to fight me the other day to get that (non-contact) jersey off of him. Man, he wants that jersey off of him. But he just started hitting it like Alton can hit it. He just started moving and cutting and the body lean and you can see a tremendous difference in week to week. I told him personally we’re in it for the long haul. We’re not in it for the sprint. Although we like to win, win, win — and we will win in due time — we just want to make sure he’s OK and not just throw him out there in the fire and he’s not prepared. When he plays, we want him to be the guy that he was.”

On the group of running backs

“That running back room is… I’m sleeping real well. I get a great night’s sleep concerning that room. That room is really talented and (Gary Harrell) is doing a great job coaching and leading that room.”

On his team being ready

“They came here because they wanted it. They came here because they wanted the light, they wanted the smoke, they wanted the attention, they wanted the focus, they wanted the love. But also you’ve got to understand there’s the opposite of that as well that you’ve got to be willing to accept when you want and desire all those things.

“These kids are ready. We prepare them not just athletically, we prepare them mentally for things and challenges that are going to happen in life as well. So, I like what I see on a daily basis. I really do. Matter of fact, I love these kids. I really do.”