Acho blasts Sanders' coaching as Colorado falters

Jeff Hauser

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Emmanuel Acho criticizes Deion Sanders’ coaching amid colorado’s struggles image

TL;DR

  • Colorado Buffaloes face dissatisfaction due to poor season performance and overwhelming defeats.
  • Analyst Emmanuel Acho states Colorado hasn't been a well-coached team under Deion Sanders.
  • Despite star talent, the team lacks consistency, with offensive and defensive breakdowns.
  • Coach Sanders' health issues and leadership changes have impacted the team's direction.

With the Colorado Buffaloes struggling to conclude the 2025 college football season, the program has faced growing dissatisfaction.

Given Colorado's solitary conference victory and a series of overwhelming defeats, renewed doubts are emerging regarding Deion Sanders' capacity to guide the team back to national prominence.

While Colorado athletic director Rick George publicly reaffirmed his “100% support” for Sanders on social media last week, FOX Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho offered his assessment of what's happening in Boulder. While appearing on the Speakeasy podcast, Acho said that Colorado “hasn’t been a well-coached football team” under Sanders.

“Colorado hasn’t been a well-coached football team under Deion Sanders,” Acho said. “They’ve been an incredibly exciting football team. Shedeur Sanders went crazy. Travis Hunter went crazy. (Jimmy) Horn went crazy. Shout out to Deion Sanders for recruiting those players and luring them to Colorado. Shout out to him for creating the most exciting program in the country. But as far as a well-coached football team, Colorado hasn’t been that.”

Many in the sport have noted Acho's comments. While the team boasts star talent and generates viral attention, Colorado's performance on the field has lacked consistency, characterized by weak offensive play and defensive breakdowns. 

In their most recent three contests, the Buffaloes have surrendered more than 134 points collectively and have rotated through three different quarterbacks on two occasions this season, with highly-touted freshman Julian Lewis anticipated to take the starting role for the remainder of the season.

Sanders’ health has also complicated matters. The coach spent much of the offseason at his Texas home recovering from bladder cancer surgery, limiting his ability to oversee day-to-day responsibilities. The result has been a team lacking direction, even after the midseason demotion of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur failed to spark improvement.

It’s a sharp contrast from two years ago, when Sanders and Colorado were the talk of college football after a 3-0 start in 2023. Bowl eligibility is now off the table, and the program has been reduced to a bottom end Big 12 team. 

With athletic director Rick George expected to retire in June and an unprecedented coaching carousel coming, Colorado’s leadership faces a critical decision. Either double down on Sanders’ long-term vision or take advantage of a deep talent pool of available coaches. For now, at least publicly, the Buffaloes appear committed to staying the course.

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Senior Editor