Deion Sanders' Colorado suffers huge blow with 24 standouts leaving Boulder ahead of 2024 college football season
Despite Deion Sanders' coaching success at Jackson State and early wins at Colorado in 2023, the Buffaloes program is experiencing a significant player exodus.
Over two dozen players have entered the transfer portal this spring alone, including star running back Dylan Edwards. This follows a year of player departures, making it the most notable player movement in Colorado's recent history.
In response, Sanders' sons, Shedeur and Shilo, took to social media to defend the coaching staff and potentially recruit replacements. Their messages suggest the departing players lacked commitment to the program's direction.
“Defense transfers DM me,” Shilo wrote in an Instagram story. “Offense transfers DM [Shedeur]. (This not Last Chance U),” he added.
"If you're not playing here, that just means you're doing something wrong," Shedeur Sanders said. "If you're not playing here that means you're doing something-not listening to the coaches or something. Not everybody sees behind the scenes in practice and we know who these guys really are," Shilo said, finishing up his brother's point.
They also mentioned that they would know if anyone was treated unfairly and how the team has been consistently practicing almost every day.
"Y'all don't know what is going on at practice every day because you just see highlight plays here and there but we practice every day almost. We know who is who and if somebody was done wrong we would know that."
Deion Sanders has yet to publicly address the reasons behind the transfers. The mass player departure presents a major challenge for Sanders as he enters his second season at Colorado.
Deion Sanders downplays departures
While a number of players have opted to transfer out of the program, Sanders insists these were primarily backups and questions their actual starting roles. He shared with the media:
"We're in good shape," Sanders told reporters, urging fans to "have some faith in me."
He highlighted the team's incoming recruiting class and expressed his belief they are attracting high-caliber talent. Sanders indicated that those leaving were not core players. He emphasized:
"I don't think we're losing those type of players," he assured fans.
Coach Prime addressed concerns about players leaving by downplaying their impact. He claims many who entered the transfer portal were not actual starters, but backups. Sanders even cast doubt on their prior starting roles.
"When a guy's a starter and he transfers, you got to really think about that. I mean, is he really that? I don't know how many starters have really transferred around the country. I think we got some coming in for visits pretty soon..."
The Buffaloes haven't been idle on the recruiting front, but they’ve secured some key additions, including lineman Payton Kirkland, edge rusher Dayon Hayes, offensive and former Ohio State running back Dallan Hayden. These reinforcements are expected to make a significant impact on the team's performance this season.