Deion Sanders, Joey McGuire lead top quips from Big 12 media daysplayDeion Sanders on Colorado: ‘We have the team to win’ (1:12)ESPNMultiple AuthorsJul 9, 2026, 09:00 AM ET
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After a long, hard offseason away from college football, we’re inching ever closer to its return.
The next hurdle to clear in the summer stretch before Week 0 arrives? Media days.
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They are often an underappreciated component of the offseason hype process. Opportunities in front of microphones allow coaches and players to build excitement for a breakout season or even stoke the flames of a rivalry. But not every answer deals with what’s going to unfold on the field in the fall. In fact, the best quips tend to come when the conversation moves away from the X’s and O’s.
Here are some of the top lines from coaches at Big 12 media days Tuesday and Wednesday, featuring musings from Deion Sanders, Joey McGuire and more.
“I got the coaches on curfew, not the kids.” — Colorado coach Deion Sanders
The Buffaloes open the 2026 season in a timeslot that matches their coach’s iconic nickname: prime time. Colorado will travel to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech on Sept. 3, the Thursday night of Week 1, in a rematch of 2025’s season-opening showdown, which Georgia Tech won 27-20. It marks a return for Sanders to the city where he started his NFL career with the Falcons.
Asked what it would be like to go back to Atlanta, Sanders, who also played baseball in the city for the MLB’s Braves, stated it would be his fellow coaches under a curfew for the trip, not the players.
It was one of many ear-catching lines from the quote-friendly Hall of Famer, with another viral offering being his explanation for why he isn’t in EA Sports College Football 27: “If I’m not in the game, that means they weren’t paying enough.”
“I got the coaches on curfew, not the kids.” 😭
-Coach Prime on Colorado’s game vs. Georgia Tech in Atlanta pic.twitter.com/zArCMWycUm
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) July 7, 2026
“Noah Fifita doesn’t just kick ass on Saturdays, he kicks ass every day of the week.” — Arizona coach Brent Brennan
Another coach known to drop plenty of news conference wit, Brennan started his media days by showing up in style — rocking custom socks featuring his kids’ faces and the text “#1 Dad” — and expectedly brought some sharp words at the microphone as well.
Brennan was effusive in his praise for Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, complimenting the signal-caller’s work and personality away from the gridiron.
“I think the last time I played a player on our team named Sipp, I beat him by 40.” — Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham
Media days weren’t the only major event in college football. Popular video game EA Sports College Football 27 released this week, prompting at least one question for Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham about his abilities on the joysticks.
Asked by Sun Devils running back Kyson Brown about the possibility of playing one of his players in the game, Dillingham took the opportunity to put Brown on blast. Evidently Dillingham and Brown — nicknamed “Sipp” for his Tupelo, Mississippi, roots — have faced off in the college football video game world once on a Friday night before a game and, according to Dillingham, that encounter didn’t go particularly well for Brown.
“So it would not be Sipp, it would have to be somebody else on our team.”
“He knows how to get to my heart, which is buy a meal for me.” — BYU coach Kalani Sitake
Even though Texas Tech took down BYU in last season’s Big 12 championship game, there’s certainly no bad blood between Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire and the Wildcats’ Sitake.
Sitake highlighted his positive relationship with Texas Tech and former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach before turning to the current coach in Lubbock, saying McGuire is “my guy.” Sitake did admit that the key to his heart is simple: a steak dinner.
“And I was like, yup, I love this guy.”
“You guys are setting the world record for hours on the virtual reality machine, and that’s all him.” — Baylor coach Dave Aranda
Transfer quarterback DJ Lagway is already making headlines with his new program. When asked about Lagway’s health, Aranda stated it’s the first offseason program in which Lagway has been a full participant before sharing an interesting tidbit on the quarterback’s offseason.
Aranda stated Lagway has been using a “virtual reality machine” to work on his game and simulate situations. Aranda stated he is “just happy to be an aid” on the quarterback’s journey.
“You guys are setting the world record on the virtual reality machine and that’s all him. He’s so driven to get it right.”@CoachDaveAranda on @DerekLagway’s work ethic. 🐻 pic.twitter.com/3vZtNzJ6QE
— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) July 7, 2026
“Spot the ball, man. We’re ready to go right now. We’ll play tomorrow” — Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire
There were few podium appearances more anticipated than McGuire’s, with the Red Raiders having been one of the most headline-heavy teams of the offseason between the Brendan Sorsby saga and Texas Tech’s attempts to get Texas on its schedule.
Fielding a question about his calls to organize a Week 1 game between Texas and Texas Tech, McGuire started his answer bluntly: “Spot the ball.” McGuire then praised Texas’ squad and coach Steve Sarkisian and stated that as a Texan, he’d love to play as many Texas teams as possible, also highlighting Texas A&M and SMU as hopeful future opponents. He argued that more intra-Texas games could be beneficial for recruiting within the state.
“I like everything. I’m not picky. … Busch Lattes? Yeah.” — Iowa State coach Jimmy Rogers
Ahead of his first season as Iowa State’s coach, Rogers’ debut at Big 12 media days started with a bang: a discussion of what sort of beer he likes.
Rogers kept his answer simple and open-minded: He’s down with everything. Fielding a follow-up about Busch Lite, the Cyclones coach added in a slight twist on the product’s official name.
“Did anybody else say that? Probably not. They might be afraid. Hell, I don’t care.” — West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez
Conference realignment remains on everyone’s minds in the college football world, and Rodriguez is evidently no different.
The West Virginia coach pitched his own idea for how to reorganize college football’s Power 4 programs: coming together to split “the biggest TV package in the history of TV packages” and then bringing back regionalized competition by slicing up the landscape geographically.
As for whether his proposal had been tabled before or whether any potential proponents of the plan have shied away for fear of backlash? Well, Rodriguez evidently isn’t too concerned.
