Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes have become known for the amount of talent they’ve sent to the NFL in the Coach Prime era. The new life that has come upon the program in that time has been visible, but the program is building futures in more ways than one.
In 2026, Colorado became a pseudo-hotbed for WWE talent. Two current Buffs players, safety Ben Finneseth and linebacker Gage Goldberg, already have a foot in the door of the wrestling industry. Their days in Boulder have prepared them for the next level, whether that be on the gridiron or in the squared circle.
How the Colorado Buffaloes Prepared Ben Finneseth for WWE
Finneseth received his first WWE opportunity in January, as the company flew him out to its Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, for a tryout. Finneseth documented his experience on Instagram and YouTube.
One of the immediate challenges he faced was developing his in-ring character. Finneseth is one of the most charismatic players on Colorado’s roster, something he’s developed since the program gave him an opportunity as a walk-on in 2021. He grappled with the idea of being himself in the ring or fabricating a character to stand out more.
“The hardest part for me was figuring out who I wanted to be,” Finneseth told Colorado Athletic Communications. “Was I supposed to put on a persona, or should I just be myself?”
But he ultimately decided to simply present himself as the man Colorado had turned him into.
“The only thing I knew was my work ethic,” Finneseth said to Colorado Athletic Communications.
On the first day of his tryout, he was given a 60-second promo segment, which is time on the microphone in which wrestlers promote themselves and display their character to audiences. With evaluators and peers watching, he spoke about what Colorado had done for him.
“I talked about my journey through college football and everything that I learned from it,” said Finneseth on YouTube. “They said I have a great story, but … I’ve got a smiling personality, and they said, ‘We really want to see that in the ring.’”
WWE’s trainers encouraged Finneseth to allow even more of his personality to be on display, showing that the man he has grown to be in Colorado is perfect for a WWE stage.
“Usually when I talk in front of people, it’s to my teammates,” Finneseth said. “It’s usually a serious conversation, so they were like, ‘Lighten up a little bit.’”
Coach Prime offered Finneseth some words of encouragement after the safety informed him of how well his tryout was going.
“You’re gonna knock it out of the park,” Sanders told Finneseth in a phone call. “You’re going to be the next big thing.”
Finneseth elected to return to Colorado for the 2026 season, but the door is likely still open to him in WWE following the season.
How the Colorado Buffaloes Prepared Gage Goldberg for WWE
Unlike Finneseth, Goldberg has yet to receive a WWE tryout. However, Goldberg’s family lineage and in-ring experience already well surpass those of his teammate.
Goldberg’s father, Bill, is a WWE Hall of Famer who wrestled under the name ‘Goldberg’ from 1997 to 2025. He had a similar path to the wrestling business, starting as a defensive tackle with the Georgia Bulldogs from 1987 to 1990. He was also teammates with Coach Prime on the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL from 1992 to 1993.
Gage has been with the Buffaloes since 2024 and has contributed primarily on special teams. He is expected to take a leap into a larger role in 2026, being one of the few members of the 2025 defense to return to Colorado and entering his redshirt sophomore season. While WWE is in his blood, Goldberg has focused on his development at Colorado above all else.
”It’s there. [WWE is] a backup plan for sure,” Goldberg told Sportskeeda. “Football’s a priority 100 percent, but it’s a backup plan. Football is my main plan, WWE is my backup plan 100 percent.”
Coach Prime has developed similar tenacity and ferociousness in Goldberg to what he helped develop in his father in their days as teammates.
“We had wrestling matches every Friday in the middle of the locker room,” Coach Prime said in a video posted by Well Off Media on YouTube. “I used to always say, ‘Who wants Goldberg?!’ And everybody put their head down. Nobody wanted him.”
Bill Goldberg replied by talking about how much those moments did to inspire him to pursue the WWE path.
“I guess I have to give him 100 percent credit for me being a professional wrestler because I never would’ve done it,” Goldberg said.
During the late stages of Goldberg’s WWE career, Gage Goldberg started to see his first involvement in the squared circle. This included getting involved in a match between his father and Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at Summerslam in 2021. Gage Goldberg was put in a submission hold, which caused a distraction amid his father’s loss.
Although Goldberg is committed to his continued development at Colorado, Coach Prime’s program has helped give him the platform to choose his athletic future. But his father has set the stage for WWE fans to anticipate the next of kin in the Goldberg bloodline.
“There isn’t ever going to be another God dang Goldberg, except for this boy right here,” said Bill Goldberg as he wrapped his arm around his son following his 2025 retirement match.
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