Deion Sanders has led the Colorado Buffaloes to a 3-1 record in his first year in Boulder, making them the buzz of college football despite Saturday's blowout loss.

• He's also sparked his own economic engine — directly and indirectly — around apparel, tickets, betting, TV ratings and more.

The big picture: Sanders — aka "Coach Prime" — has never been shy about promoting his brand.

• As a coach, he's using social media, endorsements and an Amazon Prime Video documentary to help turn his image, quotes — and even slights by others — into dollars.

State of play: Sanders signed a five-year, $29.5 million contract with Colorado, but he's cashing in on his likeness, persona and even catchphrases.

• His sunglasses line with Blenders Eyewear made $4.5 million in sales after Colorado State coach Jay Norvell criticized Sanders for wearing sunglasses at a press conference, according to Front Office Sports.
• Last week, Sanders filed paperwork for four trademarks — for the phrases "Coach Prime," "Prime Effect," "It's Personal," and "Daddy Buck," according to a report from trademark attorney Josh Gerben. Some of those Coach Prime catchphrases already have appeared on shirts.

Of note: The exposure Sanders has brought the university since the season started is worth more than $90 million, CU Boulder chief spokesperson Steve Hurlbert told the Daily Camera.

The intrigue: The head coach isn't the only Sanders making money off the Buffs' recent success.

• His two sons, starting quarterback Shedeur, and Shilo, a cornerback, are among the top NIL (name, image and likeness) earners on the team.
• Shedeur has the highest NIL valuation among college football players at $5.2 million, while Shilo's is estimated at $719,000, according to On3, a news and data site covering college sports.

Zoom in: Sales of Buffaloes gear in the team's online store have jumped 505% since December, Hurlbert tells Axios.

• The university has sold 22,457 season tickets, which are sold out for the first time in 27 years — only the ninth time in school history.

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NASA's OSIRIS-REx space probe designed in Colorado returned to Earth yesterday morning, landing at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range.

Driving the news: Touchdown took place at 8:52am, with a capsule containing the asteroid sample landing with parachutes.

Details: The probe is returning with rocks and dust from an asteroid named Bennu, which it gathered in October 2020.

• NASA noted after analyzing data that the asteroid's surface was similar to the feeling of stepping into a children's plastic ball pit.

Why it matters: Scientists hope studying the samples will develop a better understanding of how the solar system has changed over billions of years.

What they're saying: "The work we do here will be available for scientists perhaps watching now, perhaps not yet born," NASA senior scientist Jason Dworkin said during a live feed hosted by the agency.

By the numbers: The probe traveled 3.86 billion miles, according to NASA.

• The nearly half-pound sample is the largest ever returned to Earth, writes Axios Space's Miriam Kramer.

Colorado brewers dominated this year's Great American Beer Festival competition, taking home a stunning 40 medals, including 14 golds.

Why it matters: GABF is the most prestigious U.S. beer contest, and the medal haul is the largest in recent memory.

Driving the news: Wibby Brewing claimed the biggest prize among Colorado breweries as the Brewer of the Year in the 5,000-15,000 barrel segment. The Longmont brewer also took gold with Wibby Jibby in the American Pilsener category.

• Cannonball Creek in Golden extended its 11-year winning streak with a gold for its Featherweight Pale Ale.
• Westbound & Down won three medals including gold with Select, a West Coast-style IPA — which was a new category and has the second most entries.

What they're saying: "This year was a huge year for Colorado, not only for the number of awards but also for the diversity of awards," Colorado Brewers Guild executive director Shawnee Adelson said in a statement.

See all the local medal winners

🚨 Body camera footage from the officers who stopped Elijah McClain in Aurora is the heart of the prosecution's case in the ongoing trial. (AP)

🚫 A proposed Biden administration rule would significantly reduce federal lands available for drilling in western Colorado, blocking hundreds of potential wells. (🔑Denver Post)

🏈 The Broncos gave up the second most points in a single regular season game in NFL history, losing 70-20 against the Miami Dolphins yesterday. Denver is now winless at 0-3. (9News)

• The Buffs also suffered a 42-6 blowout loss against Oregon.

The Axios Denver team on Saturday took home four awards from the Colorado Press Association in our first year participating in the competition.

Driving the news: We won first place for Best Newsletter for our work in 2022.

• Our investigation with the Marshall Project into how state and local governments spent federal ARPA money also took first place for Best Editorial Collaboration.

Why it matters: This is the premier Colorado journalism contest, and the recognition serves as a testament to your support for local journalism.

The intrigue: Axios Denver competed in the top category against the largest newspapers and newsrooms in the state — even though we are a much smaller team.

The other awards recognizing our 2022 work are:

• Second place for Best Website.
• Second place for Best Informational Graphic created by Tory Lysik, Jacque Schrag and Jared Whalen.