Deion Sanders is healthy and focused on helping Colorado rebound from its three-win campaign in 2025.
Coach Prime made several roster changes during the offseason in an effort to turn things around, but two-time Super Bowl champion Brandon Stokley remains skeptical about the Buffaloes’ potential.
Brandon Stokley Unloads on Deion Sanders Ahead of the 2026 Season
Sanders inherited a Colorado program that had gone 1-11 in 2022 and immediately sparked plenty of excitement in his first season. The Buffaloes opened 2023 with a 3-0 record but ultimately finished 4-8, losing eight of their final nine games.
The Buffaloes bounced back in 2024, posting a 9-4 record and becoming one of the most-watched teams in college football. More than 54 million viewers watched Colorado games throughout the 2024 season.
However, Colorado took a major step back in 2025, finishing 3-9 after losing Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter to the NFL.
While quarterback Julian Lewis seems to be showing promise heading into the 2026 season, and footage from the Colorado locker room has fueled optimism about the team’s potential, Stokley remains skeptical.
“I’m not drinking the Kool-Aid anymore,” Stokley said. “I’m not. Sorry, I was hook, line, and sinker. I loved it when Deion was here when they hired him… That was awesome. The energy, the buzz, the excitement-that was fun… You know what wasn’t fun? Last year.
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“And then you look at, oh, you’re paying him $10 million, but then you look at it’s just nonstop chatter, nonstop talk. I’m tired of it. You haven’t backed up anything. What have you backed up? And it’s just all spin. It’s like he just throws stuff out there.”
No more drinking the Deion Sanders Kool-Aid! | @bstokley14 and @JVtakes with @markschlereth pic.twitter.com/lMokuaAAQA
— Denver Sports 104.3 (@DenSports1043) August 27, 2026
There’s been noise around the Sanders family for varying reasons this year.
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Coach Prime found himself involved in a legal matter surrounding his son, Shilo Sanders. A federal bankruptcy judge ruled on Aug. 27 that the Colorado head coach must be available to testify remotely in Shilo’s upcoming bankruptcy trial at 1:30 p.m. MT on Sept. 4, one day after Colorado begins its season against Georgia Tech.
The judge clarified that Sanders would only need to appear if rebuttal testimony becomes necessary. However, Stokley also questioned the way the situation has been portrayed publicly.
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“All of a sudden, you know, Shilo’s situation,” Stokley added. “He’s trying to say Shilo won. Shilo didn’t win. Shilo owes $12 million. That’s not a win. So you’re spending things to make us think that we’re not very bright. And I’m just over that whole situation.”
Shilo filed for bankruptcy in October 2023 in an effort to discharge more than $11 million in debt. Almost all of that amount is owed to John Darjean, a former security guard at his school in Dallas, who is the plaintiff in the bankruptcy case.
