Just one season ago, Deion Sanders and his son, Shedeur Sanders, were the talk of college football, leading the Colorado Buffaloes to a 9-4 record and an Alamo Bowl berth. Now, with the team sitting at 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the Big 12, things have fallen apart.
Coach Prime is facing a completely different reality in 2025, one defined by frustration, a search for answers, and a brutal comparison to the team’s previous success.
How Concerned Is Deion Sanders With His Current Team?
The team’s struggles were on full display last week against the University of Utah. Even with the Utes playing without their starting quarterback, Devon Dampier, and relying on backup Byrd Ficklin, Colorado collapsed. A series of miscues on both sides of the ball resulted in a crushing 53-7 loss. In a postgame interview, Sanders described the defeat as his worst-ever beating, “except when my momma whooped me as a kid.”
That frustration was clear during Thursday’s episode of “Coach Prime’s Playbook” on CBS Colorado. Sanders admitted that it has been challenging to adjust to a new quarterback after having so much confidence in Shedeur during the 2024 campaign.
“It’s been tumultuous because you’ve never concerned yourself with that position, right? Like, hey, I ain’t worried about that. I know what he’s going to do. And now you have to concern yourself with every position, not just that position,” Sanders said.
The former NFL and MLB star acknowledged that the new reality is a challenging process. With four games left, he expressed hope that the team can string together enough victories to become bowl-eligible.
“It’s totally different for me. It’s challenging. It’s been a tremendous process, a tremendous change to say the least, as you know. But prayerfully, we right the ship in that area,” Sanders said.
This inconsistency has defined the Buffaloes’ season. They started 2-2 before losing two straight games to BYU and TCU. After an encouraging seven-point victory over Iowa State, it seemed Colorado might have figured things out. However, even after a bye week, the team was run over by a more motivated Utah squad.
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Despite the recent blowout, Sanders noted a positive shift in practice as the team prepares for its next opponent. “They practiced the last two days really, really well. So, I’m proud of them and we’ve been teaching don’t let yesterday linger into today, and they’re doing a good job with that,” he said.
The Deion Sanders-coached team hosts Arizona (4-3, 1-3 in Big 12) on Nov. 1 at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado. The Wildcats rely heavily on a passing game that ranks 25th in the nation, averaging 274.1 yards per game. Their defense, however, has been strong against the pass, allowing just 153.1 yards per game, which ranks ninth-best in the country. Overall, Arizona’s defense has allowed only 292.9 total yards per game (17th in the FBS) and 20.3 points per game (36th).
In 2024, Colorado, led by Shedeur Sanders at quarterback, defeated the Wildcats 34-7 at Arizona Stadium in Tucson. Coach Prime is hoping for a similar outcome this Saturday.
