BOULDER — Rick George hopes Deion Sanders won’t be hard to keep.

“We hope Coach Prime ends his career here,” the CU Buffs athletic director said at a news conference Tuesday when asked about his football coach, whose team is off to a 4-1 start. “We think he can do important things for us in the longer term and with longevity.

“For us, and I think Coach would sit here and tell you (that) we’re on the same page with where we want this program to go.”

Sanders and CU are in the second season of a five-year, $29.5 million contract. Year 3 of that deal includes a renegotiation clause in which either side can request changes on things like salary or benefits.

If Sanders were to leave for another job after this season, he would owe CU $10 million. That number drops to $8 million after 2025 and $5 million after 2026.

Coach Prime is 8-9 over his first eight games at CU. The Buffs, who finished 4-8 last fall after a 3-0 start, host No. 18 Kansas State (4-1, 1-1) late Saturday night on ESPN. All of CU’s tilts this season were broadcast on national television.

“I think what he did was incredible,” George said. “I love the culture he has created, and I see it every day with his student-athletes and his coaches. There is still a lot to do in the future, and we are on the same page with that.”

Sanders has been frequently floated by national pundits as a candidate for higher-revenue programs in the SEC and ACC — and, more specifically, for the two largest programs in his home state, Florida and Florida State.

The Seminoles, for whom Coach Prime played a collegiate role, are off to a 1-5 start. The Gators moved to 3-2 last weekend with a 24-13 home victory over UCF. Sanders’ Buffs defeated those same Knights two weekends ago in Orlando, 48-21.