Since the end of his first season as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders has been doing everything he can to ensure his Buffaloes don’t finish 4-8 again.
After a surprising 3-0 start to the 2023 season, the kinks in the armor began to show, and the Buffs lost eight of their last nine games to finish the season. The two biggest areas of concern were along the offensive and defensive lines.
Sanders attacked the transfer portal heavy in both areas, bringing in starters across both lines. His biggest grab was five-star Jordan Seaton of IMG Academy the top-ranked offensive tackle in the 2024 class. Seaton’s ballyhooed arrival is further proof that Coach Prime was once again in his recruiting bag.
Sanders Brings In 31 New Players
After overhauling the Colorado roster upon his arrival in December 2022, Sanders once again went out and a made a splash in an attempt to upgrade his roster. In all, the Hall of Famer added 31 new faces to his 2024 roster. They include seven high school signees and 24 transfers, which in today’s era of transfer portal and NIL, is in many ways the norm. Also, the quickest way to improve.
Colorado’s incoming haul of 24 transfers ranks No. 5 nationally.
Speaking at radio row for Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, Sanders joined the ESPN “First Take” set to talk about Sunday’s big game while also crediting Niners quarterback Brock Purdy.
“Everybody in America has a title, whether you agree with it or not. They give us a title. This kid is the best story that’s probably been in the Super Bowl in over two decades, coming from the last player taken in the NFL draft to the Super Bowl, and leading his team to the Super Bowl because of his play. I love this kid, man. Shoot, I’m looking for a Brock Purdy to come play at Colorado.”
Realizing he shouldn’t be talking recruiting now that signing day has passed, Sanders quickly changed his tune with this statement.
“I’m sorry, I can’t recruit at this moment. I’m sorry, this is a dead period.”
Smart move considering how fast the NCAA loves to levy sanctions for any misstep.
Deion Sanders Says He Is A Legacy Builder
Sanders also confirmed his commitment to Colorado’s program. On the Dan Patrick Show on Thursday, Feb. 8, Sanders says he doesn’t fear other coaches recruiting against him negatively. The manner in which Deion Sanders left Jackson State is still a point of contention for many HBCU football fans.
The bigger Deion gets in the coaching realm, the bigger the threat of him leaving for a more prestigious job and a bigger bag. It’s always lingering, and other coaches use that against him when recruiting.
Deion said: “They tell kids well, he’s not going to be there, he’s going to leave’…I don’t go inherit legacies, I build on them.”
Sanders Hires New Defensive Coordinator
Not only did Sanders overhaul his roster, but he also replaced both coordinators from 2023. Following the season, both Sean Lewis on offense and Charles Kelly of defense left Boulder.
Sanders promoted longtime NFL coach Pat Shurmur to offensive coordinator in January, and after a long search he’s settled on his defensive playcaller in former Cincinnati Bengals defensive backs coach Rob Livingston.
Sanders has been adamant that he wouldn’t move too hastily in finding Kelly’s replacement, but per reports it will be Livingston’s task to improve one of the worst units in all of college football.
The slow grind continues in Colorado. Deion has put together another recruiting class that he hopes will be able to compete in a new conference.
The good news is that college football’s national signing day passed Wednesday without a single Big 12 recruiting class finishing among the top 20 in the 247Sports Team Rankings. It marks the first time in the 247Sports era that the league failed to produce a top-20 class. So, the conference as a whole isn’t that strong.
Unfortunately, of the four new teams entering the Big 12 in 2024 (Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah), Sanders’ haul of freshmen ranks last among conference newcomers and No. 118 in the country.
