Linebacker Gideon ESPN Lampron meets Deion Sanders on a plane and later lands at Colorado

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Linebacker Gideon ESPN Lampron introduced himself to Deion Sanders while boarding a flight in December. Days later, he was landing in Colorado as a member of the Buffaloes.

His final season is now ready for take off.

“I’m so thankful that I approached him and everything worked out," Lampron said.

This is how the airline encounter unfolded for the fifth-year player with a distinctive middle name: Lampron boarded a plane leaving Dallas and bound for Cleveland shortly after the transfer portal opened. He was heading home and Sanders was off to see his QB son, Shedeur, who is with the NFL's Browns.

Deion Sanders was sitting up front and Lampron summoned the courage for a quick introduction before heading to his seat. He was in the market for a new school after leaving a Bowling Green program coached by Eddie George.

Nothing fancy, just announcing his desire to play for Sanders. The Colorado coach gave Lampron a fist bump and said, “Godspeed.”

That was that. Or so he thought.

Lampron was putting his bag in the overhead compartment when Sanders walked back toward him. Sanders told him to send some tape and he'd make some calls.

“A few days later, I was in Boulder,” said Lampron, one of numerous transfers added to a Colorado team that went 3-9 last season. “That's insane.”

Lampron is part of a revamped linebacker corps in a system directed by new defensive coordinator Chris Marve. Lampron joins fellow transfers Liona Lefau (Texas) and Tyler Martinez (New Mexico State), who quickly have become two of his closest friends. Lampron and Lefau are on the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award, which goes to the nation’s top collegiate linebacker.

“Gideon has exceeded expectations,” said Sanders, whose team opens the season on Sept. 3 at Georgia Tech. “Gideon is not just a dawg; he’s a bona fide leader. He’s a playmaker. He’s a guy who loves to practice, loves the game, shows affection to his teammates.”

All part of the lessons he learned while working his way through the ranks. Coming out of high school in LaGrange, Ohio, he wasn't highly recruited. The 6-foot, 220-pound Lampron started his career in the FCS at Dayton, where he had 27 1/2 tackles for loss over three seasons and earned first-team FCS All-American honors in 2024.

Next stop: a two-hour move north to Bowling Green. He had 119 tackles for a team under the direction of George, the Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State and standout NFL running back.

Now, there's another elite NFL player serving as his coach in Sanders.

“Being around greatness, it’s definitely something younger athletes like me should chase,” Lampron said. “I’ve been fortunate enough for my two head coaches to be some of the greatest football players ever. I’ve learned so much from them.”

One of the biggest pieces of advice he received came from Sanders.

“He said: ‘Everyone in your life is there for a season or a reason. You’ve got to decide what they’re there for,’” Lampron recounted. “That really stuck with me.”

About his conversation-starting middle name of ESPN: It was the idea of his father, Marty, who, it pretty much goes without saying, is an enormous sports fan.

“Sports are a big part of our family,” Lampron said. “I appreciate” the name.

To build camaraderie with his fellow linebackers, they naturally watch sports. This summer, their viewing lineup included UFC fights and World Cup soccer games.

“It was fun watching those with the boys,” Lampron said.

The next assignment is helping shore up a defense that gave up 30.5 points and 425.7 yards per game last season. Marve steps in for Robert Livingston, who left to take a position with the Denver Broncos.

Lampron is certainly flying high since he landed in Boulder. He was one of several Buffaloes players invited to Sanders' mansion near Dallas for a leadership retreat last month.

“It put things into perspective for a lot of us for what you could attain if you really lock in,” Lampron said. “This is my last year of college football. I don’t want to leave any stone unturned.”

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