Colorado Buffs fans owe Jeremy Bloom a HUGE thank you today ... 'cause the CU alum tells TMZ Sports he was the one who actually helped get the ball rolling on bringing Deion Sanders to Boulder.
Bloom -- who starred as a receiver and returner for the Buffs in the early 2000s -- says his pursuit of Prime all started after Colorado fired Karl Dorrell earlier this year after the team got off to an 0-5 start.
Seeing all the success Sanders had at Jackson State, Bloom tells us he reached out to his former school's athletic director, Rick George, to tell him he just had to go after the former Dallas Cowboys star for the open gig.