Deion Sanders had a pretty great offseason. According to all reports, his health was/is good. He was able to shed the dead-weight members of his previous coaching staff and replace them with actual, experienced college football coaches. He beefed up his high school recruiting – Colorado signed 20 high-school prospects last cycle and already have 21 commits set to sign in December – and in the transfer portal, he focused far less on acquiring players looking for a big NIL payday (the current term is “getting a bag”) and far more on bringing experienced players to Boulder – the majority from the FCS level – who were looking for a FBS chance. There was still significant roster overhaul – that’s becoming the norm rather than the exception. But still, the non-conformist was pretty much conforming.
It was quite the turnaround.
Remember back when he took over the CU football program in December of 2022. Deion was a man on an island. He’d been a college football coach for all of three seasons (including the shortened COVID season.) He’d taken over the FCS Jackson State program in 2020 and inserted his son Shedeur as the starting quarterback, and another son, Shilo, as a starting defensive back. He also shocked the college football world by stealing away college football’s consensus top high-school recruit in the 2022 class, cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter. The move to Boulder gave Deion the opportunity to not only become a FBS head man for the first time, but also to showcase his sons and his prized recruit. Everything fell into place. It quickly became prime time for Neon Deion in the shadow of the Flatirons.
Back then, being the competitor he is, the idea of “rebuilding” the 1-11 CU program over time the old-fashioned way – by trying to stack quality high-school recruiting classes – was not in his plans. Instead, he opted to take the opportunity to be the first “power five” college football coach to jettison almost 80% of the roster he inherited, and then wade deep into the transfer portal in order to make widespread upgrades all across the board – all in search of immediate success. The school cooperated by loosening restrictions on transfers and opening up the Name, Image and Likeness coffers. Deion brought some NIL cash and endless marketing opportunities with him for himself and his players. It was a whole new world.
Sanders was roundly criticized by fellow coaches like Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi and a whole lot of us in the media for his treatment of suddenly former players (the CU roster from the year before had featured 90 underclassmen.) Deion didn’t care… and it turned out that his plan worked. The Buffs became instantly relevant, if not instantly successful.
The 4-8 season in 2023 was followed by a 9-4 campaign in 2024 that included a bowl appearance and a Heisman Trophy for Hunter. Then came last year’s 3-9 crash. Changes had to and were made, which included the third straight roster and coaching staff overhaul. Many of the roster changes weren’t of his doing… some guys left for bigger ‘bags.’ Nevertheless, he proceeded to (mostly) make the right kind of moves.
The immediate results haven’t been great. The Buffs got a narrow 14-13 upset win over Georgia Tech in the opener on the strength of solid defensive effort and a decent running game. After blowing out FCS Weber State, they were 2-0 and in a good spot. Since then, they’ve been outscored 93-27 and are 0-2 in conference play after a solid defensive effort went for naught in a 29-7 loss to Big 12 heavyweight Texas Tech. Considering the daunting schedule that still lies ahead for his Buffs, the numerous positive steps may not show up on the field at all this season.
Rebuilding – and that’s what CU should be doing – takes time and patience.
Those two things have not been Deion’s strong suit to date.
This past offseason featured the kinds of moves a more seasoned coach – almost anyone coming off a 3-9 season and looking to build long-term continuity and depth in a program – would make. Alternations wouldn’t be made for instant gratification, but rather future seasons. That’s how the rebuilding process works (even if fewer and fewer programs are accepting that path).
Ironically, now in the middle of his fourth season at CU, Sanders is reaping precisely what he helped to sow back in 2022. He looked for a way to make his team instantly relevant while competing for a championship, starting with his very first season. Remember when he told the world – following a lopsided loss to Oregon during his first year – that “Ya’ll better get me now,” because, “We comin’.”
Hasn’t quite worked out that way.
What Deion did accomplish was to give a blueprint to other programs with deeper pockets – his roster overhaul plan for those with the mean$ to become instantly relevant under the current rules and be title contenders almost overnight. That includes programs like Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, whom CU visits in less than three weeks.
Be careful what you wish for.
Strike 2: Can Deion Sanders stick to a rebuilding plan? Mile High Sports.
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