There is arguably no team in college football that has had a bigger spotlight over the last three seasons than the Colorado football program under Deion Sanders. He has completely transformed how the Buffaloes have operated as a program. However, this season, the Buffaloes are struggling and are having the worst season yet under Sanders. They sit at 3-7 and are in for a tough finish to the season with a freshman quarterback under center, too.
At Tuesday's press conference, Deion Sanders directly addressed the team's issues this season as compared to how the Buffaloes played last year, and he said they missed at some spots. The honesty from Sanders was palpable, as he said they missed on some additions this year. He also defended himself, saying that he did not suddenly forget how to coach, but that some pieces have not fit together well this year.
When talking about the “misses” in player evaluation, Sanders said, “I haven’t forgotten how to coach in a year … we did some things we shouldn’t have done.”
It is refreshing to hear a coach be honest, saying they just missed on a few players in the transfer portal, but if you blame everything on that, it takes responsibility away from Sanders as a coach. At the end of the day, it starts and ends with Sanders as the head coach, and this season was a massive step back after they won nine games the year before.
Sanders has been vocal about wanting some more time to establish the program that he wants to build in Colorado. That also comes with the fact that the athletic director who hired him, Rick George, is leaving his post at the end of the academic year.
“You've got the right man,” Sanders told reporters. “I promise you, you do. And I'm going to prove that to you. Just give me an opportunity and a little more time, and I'm going to prove that to you.”
Sanders has also faced questions about his future in coaching due to some of the health issues that have popped up during his time in Boulder, like his bladder cancer diagnosis, which was more recent.
George also responded Tuesday to a post on X about Sanders' job and if he was on the hot seat, writing, “The seat is not hot. We believe in what is ahead for this program.” This effectively ended any discussion of Deion not being at Colorado next year.
