Colorado head coach Deion Sanders faced widespread scrutiny after the Buffaloes finished last season with a woeful 3-9 record. The drop in performance for the Buffaloes came after they had gone 9-4 in 2024 on the back of stellar play by quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter, both of whom departed for the NFL.
After he was appointed Colorado’s head coach, Sanders turned the Buffaloes into one of the most-watched programs in the country, although the luster has faded in the past few years. In his divisive three-year reign in Boulder, Sanders has returned the Buffaloes to the national limelight and has managed a 16-21 record ahead of a pivotal fourth season.
Josh Pate Renders Deion Sanders Colorado Verdict
Unlike the past three years, the Buffaloes’ spring game on April 11 was not televised, and tickets to the event at Folsom Field were also free. This made for one of the quietest springs in Boulder since “Coach Prime” took over.
During this week’s segment of “Late Kick with Josh Pate,” the analyst weighed in on the debate over Sanders’ supposed failings and successes at the helm of Colorado.
“The noise on both sides of the Deion Sanders conversation has quieted down,” Pate said. “There were a bunch of people who were big-time haters on Deion Sanders and the entire concept. And then, second season he wins nine games. And then those people shut up. And then the people who defended Deion were as vocal as you could possibly be.”
“Then last year, fell back to earth a little bit and now everybody is kind of in wait-and-see mode… I saw someone the other day talking about spring game attendance, that’s how you know we’re totally off the rails with Colorado. We’re hating on spring game attendance out there.”
Once again, Sanders flipped his roster during the offseason, with only 21 returning scholarship players from last season. The Buffs will have 44 new transfers and 12 freshmen next season as Sanders has stuck with his novel manner of recruitment.
Sanders not only revamped his roster, but he also brought in new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion to replace Pat Shurmur, while promoting Chris Marve to the defensive coordinator position after the departure of Robert Livingston for the NFL. In addition, Colorado will have new running backs, defensive line, tight ends, and cornerbacks coaches.
During his show, Pate concluded that despite the criticism he has faced so far, Sanders has overachieved at the helm of the Buffaloes, who went 1-11 in the season before his arrival.
“The second season that he had out there to me made everything worth it,” Pate said. “I really think the second season going 9-4 was just a miracle… I said this, he could go on the rest of his time there and not win another game and he’s vastly overachieved.”
