The Deion Sanders era for the Colorado Buffaloes has put plenty of eyes on Boulder and led to some massive highs, like having a Heisman Trophy winner with two-way star Travis Hunter. However, there has also been plenty of losing, and the team seemed to bottom out in 2025.
“Oh, we better win,” Sanders said at Big 12 Media Days. “That’s going to be the surprise. That’s the surprise. We better win. We’re going to win. I love what I got. I love what I see.”
Sanders is now going into his fourth season at Colorado, but is coming off his worst year. 2025 saw the Buffaloes go just 3-9, struggling to a 1-8 record in Big 12 play. That included losing five-straight to end the season. Only one of those final five losses was a one-score game, three saw Colorado surrender 42 or more points, and four saw Colorado score 17 or fewer points.
The Buffaloes finished 116th nationally in scoring offense, scoring 20.9 points per game. They were also 112th nationally in scoring defense, giving up 30.5 points per game.
“We don’t care about what people say. People are always going to have an opinion. If my kids and my coaches and our staff don’t understand who they are, we have a problem. They’re not going to allow you to identify who we are, and just because our guys were snubbed off the poll that’s probably not going to be consistent with the end of the season, we don’t give a darn,” Sanders said.
“Our kids know who, what, when, where, and how they are, and they know what they got to do and how they got to work … And I’m thankful and appreciative of that.”
Colorado opens its season on the road against Georgia Tech. A Power Four opponent is never a way to ease yourself into a season. Still, it’s a game Colorado must have to set the tone.
“We’re going to take one game at a time, and I’m not thinking about those two games as farther down the road. We’re thinking about that first one,” Sanders said. “First of all, (we’re thinking) about going to camp and having a wonderful camp and getting it on … This is the best coaching staff that I’ve had in my new coaching career, and I’m excited about it. I’m excited about the young men, I’m excited about everything that we have on this roster, because I feel like we have the team to win, and I cannot wait to see it.”
Quarterback Was a Massive Issue for Deion Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes
GettyColorado Buffaloes QB Julian Lewis
There were a few different issues for the Colorado Buffaloes in 2025. One of the biggest was an inability to figure out the quarterback position in the wake of Shedeur Sanders going to the NFL.
Kaidon Salter, a veteran transfer, opened the season as the starter but struggled early and often in the role. Deion Sanders tried freshman Julian Lewis at times, but he was raw and not ready for the moment. Ryan Staub also saw action, but again, he struggled.
In total, Colorado had the 95th-ranked passing offense nationally, going for 202.8 yards per game. Importantly, 11 interceptions were also tied for 82nd nationally.
Sanders brought Lewis to Big 12 Media Days this season. That doesn’t inherently guarantee he’ll be the starter, but it certainly does imply it. So, Colorado is going to need a massive step up from him.
Deion Sanders Won’t Be In the EA Sports Video Game
GettyColorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders
One place you want to find Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is in EA Sports College Football 27. Despite several coaches joining the game, Sanders decided not to lend his likeness. At Big 12 Media Days, he had a laugh about why that is.
“I don’t know about the video games,” Sanders said. “I have a wonderful team that handles a lot of the business for me. If I’m not in the game, that means they weren’t paying enough… That’s probably it. It was probably just that simplistic.”
How much the video game pays has certainly been a topic of conversation for a very long time. After all, it was concerns about using players’ images without paying them that put the game on hiatus. The, the question came up about how much should and how much could EA pay, and if players might opt out. Clearly, coaches have a number that matters to them too.
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