Deion Sanders' arrival as Colorado's head coach in December 2022 led to an unprecedented amount of transfers, but a new report revealed that many players weren't happy with Coach Prime's approach to the situation.
Former Buffaloes safety Xavier Smith was among the players who spoke to The Athletic's
Max Olson and criticized the way Sanders handled the roster turnover ahead of the 2023 season.
"He was destroying guys' confidence and belief in themselves," Smith said. "The way he did it, it could've been done with a little more compassion."
A total of 53 scholarship players transferred out of Colorado by the end of last spring. Olson noted that 20 of them were removed in a single day by Sanders following the Buffaloes' spring game. It was also reported that 15 transfer players landed at Power 5 programs, 22 at Group of 5 programs, 11 in FCS or Division II, and two at junior colleges. Three players went unsigned and haven't played since.
When Colorado opened the 2023 season, a total of 87 newcomers were on the roster. The Buffaloes started out 3-0 before disappointingly finishing the season with a 4-8 record.
Sanders made it clear when he was hired following his successful three-year run at Jackson State that he intended to bring some changes to the Colorado football program. Former Buffaloes wide receiver Chase Sowell said every day felt like a tryout for the team's incumbent players, which created a stressful, high-pressure environment. The constant presence of the cameras for Sanders' documentary series on Amazon and his son's YouTube channel didn't help matters, either.
"It kinda felt like a reality TV show," Sowell said
When Sanders' son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, joined two-way star Travis Hunter and 19 other transfers brought in for spring practice, Colorado's returning players felt like they were being pushed out.
"We felt like it was us vs. them instead of all of us together," Sowell said. "That's the best way I can put it. The new guys were going against the players that had already been there. It wasn't a good environment to be in. It wasn't a team environment."
The treatment of certain players didn't sit well with the upperclassmen, some of whom would have had roster spots if they decided to stay.
"In our O-line group chat, one of the offensive line coaches texted the group and said, 'Good luck fellas,' and then he just removed all of them. It said these five people were removed from the chat. We were like, 'Huh? What happened?'" recounted offensive tackle Jake Wiley, who entered the transfer portal two days after that instance, making him one of seven returning starters to depart the team.
Sanders is in for more changes this offseason, as 30 players chose to transfer from Colorado, including 18 players who were brought in to replace the players he cut last year.
I can't wait to see what Jason Whitlock/Steve Kim/Coach JB have to say about this.
