Colorado’s Deion Sanders will reportedly answer to a new boss in Boulder

Brian Schaible

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Colorado’s Deion Sanders will reportedly answer to a new boss in Boulder image

By Saturday night, multiple reports pointed to University of Colorado zeroing in on Fernando Lovo as its next athletic director, a rapid shift that could shape the Buffaloes’ next phase of leadership.

Ryan Koenigsberg of DNVR reported that Colorado is expected to hire Lovo, while Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports added that no deal has been finalized and that approval from the University of Colorado Board of Regents is still required.

Together, the reporting made one thing clear. Lovo has emerged as the frontrunner.

At just 37, Lovo’s rise through college athletics administration has been deliberate and fast. He joined the University of New Mexico in December 2024 as the school’s Vice President and Director of Athletics after serving as Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director for Operations at the University of Texas at Austin. His background also includes roles at Ohio State, Houston, Florida, and a year in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, blending Power Four scale with professional infrastructure.

In his first year at New Mexico, the results followed quickly. UNM won six Mountain West titles, tied for the fourth most in school history, while also setting multiple academic records across conference all-academic and scholar-athlete selections.

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Lovo didn’t ease into the job in Albuquerque. In just his second week, he was already staring at the program’s most important decision, moving quickly to land Jason Eck, one of the hottest names on the coaching market. He followed that with another decisive swing, prying Eric Olen away from UC San Diego to lead the men’s basketball program, a move widely viewed across the sport as one of the strongest hires of the offseason.

The football results validated the urgency. New Mexico finished 9–4, closing the season with a narrow loss in its bowl game in what was widely viewed as a highly successful first year under Eck. For a Group of Six program searching for traction, the season signaled momentum and credibility arriving faster than expected.

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Financially, the department surged as well. Under Lovo’s direction, UNM Athletics delivered a record revenue year, setting new benchmarks in ticket sales, multimedia rights, parking, concessions, licensing, and Lobo Club fundraising.

That contrast is impossible to ignore in Boulder. At Colorado, the disconnect has been glaring. Despite massive national exposure and nonstop attention, the Buffaloes’ fundraising operation has failed to keep pace. NIL efforts have lagged badly, real dollars have been slow to materialize, and the result has been a program long on visibility but short on the financial infrastructure required to compete for championships.

When Lovo was introduced in Albuquerque, his message centered on alignment and sustainability. He said at the time. “My commitment is to foster an environment where our programs can thrive, and our student-athletes can excel in all aspects of their lives.”

Naturally, the speculation followed almost immediately. As word spread of Lovo’s potential move to Colorado, some fans on social media began connecting dots beyond the athletic director’s office, wondering aloud if Eck could eventually follow. The logic, at least online, was familiar. Colorado has resources New Mexico cannot match. 

There is also the unavoidable subtext. Deion Sanders arrived in Boulder with unprecedented autonomy, visibility, and leverage, a reality that helped stabilize a program desperate for relevance. A new athletic director does not change that overnight. But it does recalibrate the balance. Any leadership transition introduces evaluation, alignment, and expectations.

For now, Sanders remains the face of Colorado. Over time, however, the presence of a new voice above him adds a layer that did not previously exist, one that could shape how long this partnership lasts and what it looks like when the next crossroads arrives.

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Staff Writer