The illusion of control is gone.
Colorado’s roster is being stripped in real time, and the transfer portal has exposed a program sliding toward instability under Deion Sanders.
According to On3, seven Buffaloes have already indicated they plan to enter the transfer portal when it opens in early January. The exits are not isolated, staggered, or limited to the fringes of the depth chart. They are widespread. They are accelerating. And they are coming from positions Colorado cannot afford to lose.
Coach Prime once framed the rebuild in Boulder with a simple promise: “we coming.” As the portal fills and familiar names keep exiting, that slogan has flipped into something far more revealing. Right now, the message surrounding Colorado football is not about momentum or arrivals. It feels uncomfortably closer to “we leaving.”
MORE: Deion Sanders expected to lose key staff member to Group of Five school
The latest departures cut directly into the program’s spine. Starting safety Tawfiq Byard, one of Colorado’s most productive and dependable defenders, plans to move on with two years of eligibility remaining. Over the past two seasons, Byard totaled 140 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions, production that anchored a defense already stretched thin. Losing him is not turnover. It is erosion.
Then the offense followed him out the door. Wide receiver Omarion Miller, Colorado’s most reliable playmaker in the passing game this season, also announced he’s headed to the portal. Miller finished the year with 45 receptions for 808 yards and eight touchdowns, quietly carrying a unit that too often relied on individual brilliance rather than structure. When your most consistent producer leaves, it is no longer just about opportunity elsewhere. It is about confidence in what remains.
They are not alone. On3 also lists safety TJ Branch, defensive tackle Jehiem Oatis, cornerback Noah King, linebacker Mantrez Walker, and safety Terrance Love as portal-bound. This number could still rise in the upcoming days.
MORE: Shedeur Sanders ‘that’s on me’ after throwing three interceptions in loss to Bears
Starters. Rotation players. Former high-upside recruits. This is not trimming excess. This is losing framework, experience, and positional stability all at once.
Miller’s departure came with grace and appreciation. In a farewell message on X, he thanked Colorado fans and staff for their energy and support, and described his decision as one made after “a lot of thought and reflection.” There was no public frustration, no finger-pointing. But courtesy does not change the consequence. Respectful exits still count as exits, and Colorado keeps losing players who were supposed to matter.
The timing only sharpens the concern. This wave of portal departures follows an early 2026 recruiting cycle that according to 247 only produced just 13 commitments, with 12 now signed. It’s a modest return for a program now ing depth and experience. Colorado may still add recruits before national signing day in February, but that reality offers little comfort. Recruiting momentum matters. Retention matters more. Right now, Colorado is losing both.
This is no longer about reshaping a roster through the portal, a tactic Sanders once wielded aggressively and successfully. This is about a roster that appears to be unraveling. When players leave in clusters, across position groups, and with eligibility still on the table, the message becomes unmistakable.
Colorado is not simply rebuilding. The roster is being decimated, and the transfer portal window ahead will determine whether Deion Sanders can stop the bleeding or whether the verdict has already been delivered.
More college football news:
- Three Clemson defenders projected as first round picks in latest CBS Sports NFL mock draft
- Brian Hartline sends a message to Chris Henry Jr. After choosing Ohio State
- Jeff Monken struggles to put words to Army’s heartbreaking loss to Navy