Just two years ago, the Colorado Buffaloes were the talk of college football.
They had two-way star Travis Hunter playing his way to the Heisman Trophy. They had Deion Sanders bringing his unmatched swagger and megastar status to the sideline as head coach. They had his son, Shedeur, brushing off his nepo baby status to do his talking on the field as one of the most must-watch players in all of sports.
The Buffaloes, in Sanders’ second season as head coach, went 9-4 and finished the year ranked in the AP Top 25. They flipped their 4-8 record from the previous year, and the direction of travel was up.
This was a team and program built in the image of ‘Coach Prime.’ But the questions were always looming – what would happen when Shedeur, brother Shilo and superstar Hunter left? Could Sanders rebuild? Did he even want to?
Fast forward to 2026, and those glory days of 2024 already feel a long time ago. They’ve suffered three straight losses, benched their quarterback and dismissed three players for ‘conduct detrimental to the team.’
Question marks over discipline and conduct of Sanders’ players might even spill over into his coaching staff after an offensive playbook full of Colorado’s plays and game notes was left in a hotel bar and found by Texas Tech fans on Friday night before last week’s game.
Deion Sanders and Colorado are facing an early season crisis with their momentum collapsing
Former NFL superstar Sanders became head coach of Colorado ahead of the 2023 season
‘It’s all flash and no substance,’ claimed Colin Cowherd this week as criticism of the former NFL and MLB superstar ramps up.
But while Sanders isn’t perfect, many of those with first-hand experience of the problem believe the fish rots from the head, far above him.
‘I mean, Deion knows a lot about football,’ Cody Hawkins tells the Daily Mail. Hawkins was quarterback for the Buffs between 2006 and 2010, playing under his dad, Dan, and now entering his fifth year as a head coach himself at Idaho State.
‘College football has changed in the past couple years,’ he continues. ‘And if your administration is not behind you, it’s tough to be successful.
‘I think more than anything, it’s indicative that the administration probably needs to do more if they’re serious about being successful in football.
‘You can blame the coaches, but I don’t think they’ve had bad coaches and bad players for the last 25 years, you know?’
There are three fewer players now on the roster after Sanders dismissed transfer defensive backs Jah Jah Boyd, Paul Omodia and Justin Eaglin last month.
It came after he showed displeasure at players ‘laughing’ after the 41-7 loss to Northwestern and trying to address players who ‘don’t care about the team.’ Sanders claimed he is ‘one the most loving and giving and forgiving men you could ever meet’ but suggested he was too lenient a year ago.
Sanders recently dismissed three players from the team as he learns lessons from a year ago
Sanders has brought sellout crowds to Boulder, Colorado but the wins have dried up since 2014
‘It lingered a little bit,’ Sanders admitted. ‘Then, it imploded. I’m not doing that anymore.’
And while in the short term it may be damaging to a team already on the back foot, Sanders has been praised for showing a commitment to delivering the highest standards in the locker room.
‘I think more than anything, I appreciate that someone’s holding the standard,’ Hawkins says. ‘I think there are a lot of places where guys let stuff slide and I think the ultimate job of a head coach is to try to make sure it never gets that bad.
‘But if players are being a distraction towards the ultimate goal, the organization, then I’ve got no problem with people getting ready to go midseason, if they feel like that’s the right thing to do. Now, if it’s a knee jerk reaction, that’s probably not the best, but it doesn’t sound like that was the first time that those guys have been an issue.’
Sanders is now taking a hardline stance. For years, he was criticized for the management of his own sons and being too lenient.
Yet there is an irony that it is at quarterback where Colorado has been left without answers since Shedeur graduated.
‘We’ve got one glaring problem’ Sanders candidly told reporters after the loss to Texas Tech, as he called his offense ‘horrible.’
They’ve scored just 93 points in five games so far this season, with 52 of them coming against FCS school Weber State in Week 2. It’s a stark contrast to the 428 points the potent Shedeur-led unit put up in an electrifying 2014 season.
Former five-star Julian Lewis, once a highly touted recruit tipped to be even better than Shedeur, was benched against Baylor. His replacement, transfer Isaac Wilson, the younger brother of NFL quarterback Zach, struggled badly against Texas Tech.
While the debate over them both is ongoing, the drop-off in production under center has been stark.
Shedeur Sanders led a potent Colorado offense under his dad, Deion in the 2024 season
Colorado has struggled badly at quarterback since Shedeur graduated and headed to the NFL
Former five-star recruit Julian Lewis was benched by Sanders against Baylor in Week 4
Perhaps Deion needed Shedeur, now with the Cleveland Browns, more than Shedeur needed Deion, after all. And throw Hunter into the mix, and it was enough for Colorado to paper over the cracks.
‘It’s always easier to win when you have an NFL quarterback, especially when he’s throwing to a Heisman Trophy winner,’ Hawkins says. ‘I don’t know if you could find any teams in America in history that have stunk with an NFL Draft pick at quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner on offense.
‘That’s a pretty easy formula. I don’t care if a 2nd grader is calling plays. You know, you’re going to be pretty good.
‘You have to give credit to Deion for bringing those types of players in. I know he had a relationship with Travis and obviously his son, Shedeur, before. They had some weapons and they had some energy, and they capitalized on it.’
But where does Colorado go from here? Off the back of the success of 2024, Sanders was handed a five-year, $54 million deal by the Buffs.
‘Coach Prime has revolutionized college football and in doing so, has restored CU football to our rightful place as a national power,’ Colorado athletic director Rick George said at the time.
But the talk of challenging for national championships looks further away than ever, and while Sanders himself is earning a pretty penny, so is the school.
‘I don’t think my opinion has changed at all,’ Hawkins says. ‘I think he’s a guy that knows a ton about football and he has done exactly what he was hired to do, which is to make money for the school and earn some notoriety for the school, which is more than the past couple coaches have done.
‘Because if the administration isn’t going to help out, then they want to hire someone who people want to watch. And that’s what they’ve gotten with him.
‘I think he’s done it in a positive way. I mean, I know the win loss record hasn’t been what everybody wants it to be, but what has Colorado’s athletic department done financially in the last 5 years, and you tell me if that’s successful or not?
‘I mean, I would say they spent from 2010, the time I graduated until 2022 just stinking and not making money, and at least now, they’re stinking and making money.’
Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy at Colorado and formed part of Sanders’ stunning team
Former Colorado players believe the program needs more investment to compete at the top
In the modern era of college football infiltrated by NIL collectives and lucrative deals, spending money is more vital than ever, especially as the initial Sanders-led injection of energy drains out.
Legendary former Buffs running back Chris Hudson threw his support behind Sanders this week and told the Denver Post: ‘I think they’re missing a couple pieces. And the thing is, with this NIL collective, I think Prime is doing an awesome job with what he has.’
Given the options elsewhere, Colorado needs to stop relying on a world where Sanders’ profile means they can get top talent at a cut-price rate. Turning the ship around is likely to cost millions of dollars in investment.
‘I think they’ve been running on Deion energy for a long time,’ Hawkins concludes. ‘Because I think it has helped with recruiting in the short term, but I think recruiting in the long term, especially at that level now, it’s going to take serious investment from the university, that hasn’t been present the last 20 years.
‘So if they want Deion to be their guy and Deion wants to be there, then they need to pony up and get serious about the other aspects of football and not expect to get by on a discount.
‘I mean a lot of these guys came for Deion. They didn’t come for Colorado. And so if they want to get guys that want to be there for Colorado for the long term, regardless of who the coaches, they need to pony up.’
Sanders and the Buffs have a bye to regroup this week before hosting Utah on October 17. In the long term, however, it is off the field that meaningful change can be made to deliver on the initial promise and momentum Sanders delivered.
