It was the first of many times Deion Sanders would be asked about whether he harbors any desire to jump from being “Coach Prime” in college to someday taking over as an NFL head in coach with, say, the Dallas Cowboys.

And his answer to us still resonates.

“I don’t have any desire or ambition to coach in the NFL,” Sanders told in February 2022. (See the entire video here.) “I have a problem with men getting their checks and not doing their jobs. I would be too tough as a coach in the NFL because I still have those old-school attributes.”

Soon enough, the Cowboys will be done with lame-duck coach Mike McCarthy and owner Jerry Jones’ search for a replacement will begin. The list of candidates from outside The Star (and maybe inside, too) will surely include Sanders, who has overseen the turnaround of a poor University of Colorado team into a Big 12 contender.

And there are an assortment of “experts” who are endorsing the idea.

From Robert Griffin III: “You need ‘Coach Prime.’ That’s right, Deion Sanders, Coach Prime. Coach Prime knows how to win in Dallas. He knows what it takes to have a championship mindset. He knows how to hold guys accountable. And he is a culture changer.

“No coach will make Jerry Jones more money than Coach Prime. Deion Sanders will have the Dallas high-stepping towards the Lombardi in no time.”

From ex-NFL coach Rex Ryan: “Deion Sanders may be in play here (in Dallas).”

From ESPN blowhard Stephen A. Smith: “I believe that the Dallas Cowboys should tank the rest of the rest of the season and get the No. 1 overall pick so you can draft Shedeur Sanders, and, by the way, hire ‘Prime Time’ Deion Sanders.”

Deion could obviously change his mind. Two years later, both of his sons, Shedeur and Shilo, are bound for the NFL Draft, as is the Buffs’ best player, Travis Hunter. Their moves … Jerry’s ego and his money … Deion’s ego and desire for a challenge … all of that could serve as a grand motivator to re-think thoughts.

But we find it odd that all of the “experts” touting Deion’s talents are at the same time ignoring Deion’s words. He has already made his thoughts on the Cowboys job very clear and firmly told us he has no interest in coaching in the NFL.

But if there is ever a shift in his thinking? We’re sure “Coach Prime” will let us know.