The struggle is real at Colorado and with Deion Sanders‘ Buffs struggling mightily and catching blowout L’s left and right, just like it did prior to his arrival on campus with his Louis Vuitton luggage (Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, Shilo Sanders) three seasons ago.
Deion Sanders Is Missing Sanders Brothers & Travis Hunter
Some college football fans and former alumni had a heart attack when it was announced that Colorado would retire the jerseys of Johnny Unitas award winning quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way sensation Travis Hunter, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. But now we are seeing that those players were as special as Sanders touted them and were the driving force behind Colorado going from a 1-10 record to 4-8 and then 9-4 after two seasons with Hunter, Shedeur and brother Shilo leading the way in the secondary.
After giving up over 100 points combined in consecutive blowout losses, maybe those guys need to get statues built. With the season on the brink, Sanders is making major changes to his team.
Deion Sanders Fires Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur
Just like in 2023, when Coach Prime demoted lead play-caller Sean Lewis following a 53-7 loss to the Utah Utes, Prime is demoting former NFL coach Pat Shurmur.
“Colorado football coach Deion Sanders stripped play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur after the Buffaloes 53-7 stomping by Utah Oct. 25, demoting him to quarterbacks coach before the team got crushed again 53-17 by Arizona last week, according to USA Today.
“The person didn’t want to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation. The person said Colorado tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Brett Bartolone has called plays instead of Shurmur since the Utah game.
“Colorado didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment. But Sanders hinted at coaching staff changes Tuesday during his weekly news conference in Boulder.”
Social Media Reacts To Deion Sanders Coaching Change
“Rearranging deck chairs. He’s one-game above .500 at CU. His one generationally talented player is gone. Now he has to recruit and coach and it’s not going well. My guess is he resigns for health reasons,” said one fan.
That’s what you hope happens… so you can say “see I knew it” … but this the first season … without the “generational” talent players… let’s see what happens next year,” said a more optimistic fan acknowledging the loss of the Sanders Brothers and Travis Hunter have hurt the team.
“Haha. I love this circus in Boulder so much,” said one Deion hater.
Brett Bartolone Gets Crushed In Debut As Offensive Coordinator: Goes Back To Jackson State With Shedeur
Bartolone goes back with Sanders to Jackson State when he hired the young coach to call plays and handle the development of Shedeur Sanders, who broke records and lit up HBCU football with the Tigers.
Bartolone’s debut came in the blowout loss to Arizona, so the change wasn’t an immediate fix. Colorado sits at 3-6 and is 14th in the Big 12. This is not the inaugural season Coach Prime anticipated. With all of the medical procedures that have impeded his ability to be present during the Spring and the uncertainty at the quarterback position, Colorado’s $54M head coach is facing some real uncertainty with a program he literally pulled out of the ashes and made a national story.
Will Deion Sanders Shine Without Louis Vuitton Luggage?
Now that the Louis Vuitton talent is gone, Prime is left with no true leadership and is searching for players who can elevate above the others and lift his team to victory against tough competition. There’s no two-way sensation such as Travis Hunter who was likely to score in any direction any time he got his hands on the ball. There’s a reason he won the Heisman despite beginning his career at an HBCU. Hunter and Shedeur Sanders both shunned D-1 offers to be part of something bigger at Jackson State. Their presence and success lifted HBCU football into a temporary spotlight the likes of which it will never see again.
The revitalization of Colorado’s culture and standing as an educational and athletic institution is obvious in increased enrollment, media attention and national recognition the once-forgotten football program has enjoyed. How Deion Sanders adjusts to this season will be something to watch. How his health holds up will also be something to pay attention to. His recruiting will be scrutinized going forward as there are no more home-grown studs to put on the field. The new talent has to be nurtured, and the NIL bag has to be right. Let’s see how long the NFL Hall of Famer wants to deal with those head aches
