The first step for Deion and Shedeur Sanders to become one of the greatest father-son duos in sports history is for them to go their separate ways.

Count me among the skeptics that long believed Coach Prime would follow his youngest son out the door after Shedeur threw his final pass as quarterback for the Colorado Buffaloes.

But now I want to whole-heartedly believe Sanders when he peers out a window in Boulder at the Flatirons and tells Rich Eisen that his biggest football dream involves getting a big raise to coach at CU, not in the NFL.

“I’m confident that we’re going to get something done to keep me here, so that we could bring this wonderful city a national championship,” Sanders said, adding his aspiration is to achieve the legendary status that would “put my face on top of that mountain. I want to see a black face on this white snow.”

Without Deion and Shedeur together, this coach could not have transformed the Buffs from a one-win team to a Top 20 program in the span of two seasons and the quarterback would not be the prohibitive favorite as the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NFL draft.

Together, they not only gamed the system but changed the game.

Deion and Shedeur were great disruptors in the sport together.

They can make history apart.

Whether Shedeur is drafted by the New York Giants or the Las Vegas Raiders, the last thing he needs is a father roaming the same NFL sideline and looking over his shoulder. Here’s hoping he goes to work in the AFC West, so Shedeur can make an annual visit back to Colorado for a game against the Broncos.

With a power vacuum in college football since Nick Saban gave up the NIL and portal hullabaloo for a cushy seat on the ESPN television set, Prime sees a chance to turn Boulder into a hot destination for every top recruit in the country.

It doesn’t really matter if the Buffs win or lose against Brigham Young in the Alamo Bowl, so long as CU athletic director Rick George signs Coach Prime to a contract extension before kickoff.

By going their separate ways, Deion and Shedeur have a shot to make Sanders the biggest name in both the college and pro football worlds by dividing and conquering.

The greatest father-son duos in North American sports history?

Here’s my list. Your mileage may vary.

No. 5: Lee and Richard Petty. The history of motorsports is written by families born with grease under the nails and trophies in the case, from the Unsers to the Earnhardts. Stock-car racing became the major leagues of the American South, thanks to pioneers like Lee Petty. And his son became the King of NASCAR, winning 200 races.

No. 4: Ken Norton Sr. and Jr. The elder Norton broke Muhammad Ali’s jaw and was heavyweight champion of the world. As a linebacker, the younger Norton not only hit as hard as Pops, but became the first player in NFL history to win the Super Bowl three years in a row.

No. 3: Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. As a star with the Big Red Machine, father won two World Series in Cincinnati. But the son outdid him, hitting 630 career home runs and being named an all-star 13 times.

No. 2: Bobby and Brett Hull. Yeah, I know. Football is king in the USA. But The Golden Jet and his son were bodacious beauties, eh? They combined for 1,351 NHL goals. Two of the best 100 players to ever lace up skates. Hull of a run.

No 1: Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. Archie is the patriarch of America’s great sports dynasty. He’s the father of two pro quarterbacks that hoisted four Lombardi Trophies and passed for 905 touchdowns between them. Don’t look now, but grandson Arch is the early favorite to win the Heisman in 2025.

Can the Sanders family possibly crack that list?

Don’t bet against it.

Prime was born for the spotlight. He played in both the World Series and the Super Bowl. After only two seasons with the Buffs, he’s the most buzz-worthy coach in the USA, in any sport at any level.

So the question is: Can Shedeur be Deion’s greatest athletic legacy?

He’s going No. 1 in the NFL draft. The scrutiny will be enormous. His father can be a trusted confidante and a die-hard supporter, but the last thing Shedeur needs is a helicopter parent.

From the first time he stepped on the Boulder campus, Coach Prime liked to remind us that his quarterback was thoroughly independent and not to be underestimated.

“In my phone, he’s up under ‘Grown.’ He’s very mature for his age,” Sanders said back in 2023, when he promised the college football world that he and his quarterback were destined to win big. “He’s always been calm, cool and collected. He was checking off at 7 years old and Daddy was over there (on the sideline) calling plays for him.”

Prime had his time with Shedeur on the football field for the better part of two decades.

And what a run it was.

But it’s time for the son to be a man of his own.

Twenty years from now, when Shedeur enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his father can greet him at the door.