Deion Sanders will forever be a sports icon long after his coaching career is over. Shortly after he made the decision to lead Colorado, the Hall-of-Famer repaired a broken relationship with Nike and most knew big things were coming. Sanders bringing back his Diamond Turf line was predictable. However, what was less expected was just how intense the desire for current NFL players to also show their love and respect for the man once dubbed, "Prime Time".
Make no mistake about it, Sanders has a noticeable gravitas. He changes the temperature in the room just by being in it. When he is deep in a conversation or mixing with current and even former players, there is a reverence paid to him. There is respect and admiration for guys like Terrell Owens, Michael Irvin, Cam Newton, and others who have regular interactions with Prime and his CU players on game days.
It's not unlike the reverence that Heisman trophy winners give Archie Griffin. In a room full of Heisman trophy winners, no one is revered over the two-time winner, who most if not all refer to as "Grand Dad" or "Pops". It's this unwavering and ubiquitous sense shared by those who did it at the highest level that virtually everyone ‘bends the knee' to a former great like Sanders. There is seemingly no end to the number of players happy to show him love by wearing his iconic Nike Air DT Max ‘96 or Diamond Turf 3's in their respective games.
The No. 1 Diamond Turf 3 ‘Athlete' Shedeur Sanders
The first time a Player Edition was noticed, it did not come from an NFL player, not yet at least. The first wave of PEs were worn by the youngest Sanders player. Long before the "Giants PE" that made its rounds on social media prior to the Alamo Bowl game, Shedeur had made a habit of warming up in a new set for every game. From the ‘new money' Green and White to the Black and Fuchsia to the "Heisman Leather" to the "Reverse Grinch", Shedeur seemed to have a new DT3 PE every single week.
Reds, Whites, and Blues
Some of the more popular or widely-seen Diamond Turf 3 Player Editions (or even customs in some cases) belong to big names every football fan is familiar with. Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen might've been the first big name. The custom set for the NFL MVP are mostly white with blue flame work and red on the logos. The Shedeur Sanders NY Giants PE carry the same concept, but with red where the white would be and white logos. The last of the big red, white and blue is Giants edge rusher Brian Burns. The shoe for him is the literal inverse of Josh Allen's. Mostly blue and red with some white on the forefoot strap.
The last of this group is mostly blue worn by Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams. Nothing outside the box, just a beautiful marriage between the Lions' Honolulu Blue and silver. Moving over to a red dominant motif, there are two additional PEs that many might have missed. Joe Milton, the surprising New England rookie who wowed viewers in his week 18 start vs the Buffalo Bills wore a pair of Diamond Turf 3s you might expect to see on shelves someday. Mostly white with red flames. Very simple, but a very striking look. The other red DT3 is almost the Love Letter to Connie colorway. This PE was created for Azeez Al-Shahir of the Houston Texans. Unlike Love Letter to Connie which incorporates University red alongside a more red velvet cake shade, the Al-Shahir model attempts to stack a ‘candy red' over 95% of the shoe.
Nothing beats a mostly black DT3
Versions of black are the most popular. The two black PEs that stand out and were seen by many are the Derrick Henry and Kyler Murray models. The Derrick Henry model is a simple black and purple. Another colorway Nike should consider releasing to the public. Kyler Murray's DT3 PE might be the one that jumps off the screen most. Primarily black with yellow flames and red trim on the laces and logos. It's also the only PE of this group that doesn't strictly adhere to the parameters of his NFL jersey. Before looking into some of the more creative black models, we have to take a moment to mention CB Patrick Peterson (also worn by 7-year vet Dorance Armstrong). Peterson's model not only is a Deion shoe but also inspired by Nike's number 1 non-player collabo partner, Travis Scott. Drawing inspiration from Travis Scott's "Black Phantom Air Jordan 1 low", the Peterson model is an all-black Diamond Turf 3 with just a light yellow-gold stitch work to separate the various panel sections. The Travis Scott AJ1 low uses white stitch work. But side by side, the design inspiration is obvious.
Outside the Box designs
Stepping away from the basic black models, there are two that are next level designs. The PE made for Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt might be the most shocking and arguably best Player Edition made for how bold it is. The Pratt model throws caution to the wind and says, "Bengals stripes? Why not?". The flames and most of the cleat spikes are white. The rest of the shoe is black and Bengal tiger striped. The tiger stripe work almost feels random but the whole shoe works together in a way that might not be understandable if you were just ‘told' about it.
The second bold design choice comes from Miami CB Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey's model (this one all but certainly looks like a custom more than a PE) is the only model that takes liberties with the original design. There is a strap that moves across the toe box as opposed to the forefoot strap seen on every other DT3. The most striking difference is textural. The shoe upper is a basic nubuck or engineered suede. The outsole plate and the flame work are both shiny, metallic gold with a dragon scale texture in the flame work. Ramsey definitely has the most out of the box DT3.
Detroit Lions
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Bright Colors
An interesting departure from the primary colorways Nike has released publicly is the use of bright color combinations. Two models that pop off in the bright category come from Dolphins RB Devon Achane and Bears WR DJ Moore. Both follow the same design idea, highlighting either the primary or secondary color on a canvas of all white. Achane's model is all white with aqua and very little orange. In the case of DJ Moore, they punted on navy blue entirely and included the Bears secondary orange over white.
Two final models for two future CU Athletic Hall of Famers
The most "Captain Obvious" thing you will read all day is that both Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter will be CU Athletics Hall of Famers and likely won't take long for that to happen. These two young men have Diamond Turf 3 PEs that might make their way into the CU Champions Center Trophy room someday. Shedeur's pair is a colorway made specifically to pair with the CU "Silver Rush" uniforms. A dull darker grey with a significant amount of black. What makes this different from most others, like Travis Hunter's pair, includes their specific logos. $2 for Shedeur and Hunter's T&H logo. While Shedeur's matches a specific jersey combination, Travis Hunter's is in a very specific "CU Gold" which is a combination of a tan gold and a mineral gold.
New Colorways, Hopefully not PEs
In addition to that seemingly endless amount of Player Edition models we have seen and some we have yet to see, Deion Sanders has shared a few new variations. These new variations are colorways many fans and consumers have voiced their optimism these will become available to the public. The first two feel like and should be a "shoe pack". Two pairs sold at the same time. Almost as if these are the road and home versions of the same thing. The intriguing factor with these is they feel like a throwback. Call them the Miss Peggy CU Pack. Both utilize the darker more yellow gold that was a staple in the 1970s and 1980s. It's also the CU Yellow that Peggy Coppom is seen wearing most of the time. The darker pair is that CU yellow with black flame work and a solid black outsole and midsole. The lighter pair is a white with CU yellow flame work and an all-black midsole and outsole.
Deion Sanders is seen most often in blacks and greys since joining CU with the occasional pivot to something brighter. However, Deion also seems to be a huge fan of a clean white or clean grey. Evident in his appearance on Complex's "Sneaker Shopping" when Prime made sure to promote the white on whites. This additional tandem steps outside Prime's typical colorways and leans on a Nike staple. These two feel significantly closer to the Cool Grey found in the iconic Jordan XI Cool Greys. Regardless of season or year, the Cool Grey 11s always sit atop the fastest to sell out list. The lighter pair is mostly white with cool grey flame work. Conversely, the darker pair is mostly cool grey with white flame work.
Deion Sanders pays tribute to Mama Prime with 'Love Letter to Connie' Nike Air DT Max '96
The final new colorway sample that was revealed is a departure from the previous 4. Just from a design standpoint, it seems hard to believe that ‘all the smoke' won't find its way into the naming process. This colorway should not be confused with the "Falcons" colorway released late last year. The Falcons have no white on the sole. The Falcons grey is one shade, while these have a shaded grey that gives the illusion of movement. Regardless of Nike's release schedule pertaining to these last five, the overwhelming consensus should be that these feel more like a wide release than a Player Edition.
The next opportunities to view new Player Editions, new colorways, or to see whatever Prime is wearing will come first at CU's "NFL Showcase" (pro day) televised on NFL Network on April 4th, or later in that same month for Colorado Black & Gold Spring Game.
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This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 5:34 PM.