Colorado Buffaloes football coach Deion Sanders may not be long for Boulder, based on how things are going right now. Results have been rough across the board for the 58-year-old in his third year with the CU Buffs, but first without Heisman winner Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders.
Coach Prime has played all three of his quarterbacks, starting his third-year reserve Ryan Staub over former Liberty Flames star Kaidon Salter and 4-star true freshman Julian Lewis against the Houston Cougars in a 36-20 loss at TDECU Stadium Friday night.
Sanders handed over the defense to defensive coordinator Robert Livingston and pass rush coordinator Warren Sapp, and got them big raises this offseason. Thus far, the return on investment is 31.5 points per game against Power 4 opponents in 2025.
It’s not going well on either side of the ball. Worse yet, with Lewis being mentioned in the same breath as the Transfer Portal, Coach Prime doesn’t seem to have sold his players on a future.
CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah wonders if there’s even a way forward with this regime, considering the seeming lack of a long-term roster plan.
“Life after Shedeur and Travis was always going to be a challenge. The pair ranked as one of the most dynamic over the past few years and are both on NFL rosters now. While offensive tackle Jordan Seaton and true freshman quarterback Julian Lewis both match the pedigree of the pair, there's no one on the roster with surefire college football production,” Jeyarajah wrote.
“If favorites win out, Colorado could be sitting at 2-6 heading into November. Do celebrities still flock to the sideline of a last-place Big 12 team? Are recruits flocking to a Colorado program without Travis and Shedeur? Early returns aren't great, the program sits at No. 83 in recruiting. Are there even any more cards to play after throwing all three quarterbacks out with wildly mixed results? Is there any way forward without a multi-year roster plan in Boulder?”
Coach Prime’s buyout is $10 million in 2026, $6 million in 2027, $4 million in 2028, and $3 million in 2029. He probably won’t collect the $12 million for leaving before December 31, but those other figures are in play considering the lack of purpose in Boulder for Deion’s Buffs with the team looking poised to repeat the 2023 season’s 4-8 results. If enough things break their way.