Deion Sanders likes where Colorado is at as the Buffaloes move into Georgia Tech prep, and he’s making clear this isn’t about nostalgia or sightseeing. It’s about getting ready for a Thursday night opener in Atlanta, where CU will face the same Yellow Jackets team that beat the Buffs 27-20 in last year’s season opener.
Sanders said the Buffs have already shifted into the kind of rhythm that comes with game week, even if the calendar hasn’t fully flipped yet.
“It’s a great matchup. It really is,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said.
“We’re doing primarily the same thing they’re doing. A couple guys that once played here that play over there.
It’s going to be fun. I admire and respect their head coach (Brent Key) so darn much.
I really do. Love the city.
All the way across the board, it’s a good match. It really is.”
He was referring in part to former Buffs Tawfiq Thomas and Savion Riley, both part of the Georgia Tech side now. But Sanders spent more time talking about the way Colorado has handled its preseason progression. In his view, the team has reached the checkpoints it needed to hit before turning fully toward the opener.
“We have stages,” Sanders said. “We have deadlines.
We have points that we gotta hit. We’re right where we want to be.
I like where we are. We’re right where we want to be.
Everything is on a timeline. We’re going to hit those marks strategically.
“We’re going to practice that morning (Tuesday) that we leave. Have another walk-through probably when we get there.
So we’re gonna get our work in. And that’s the main thing.
Just getting the work in and not making things too complicated where the kids gotta think too much. Just let them play football and have fun while they’re doing what they do.”
For Tyler Martinez, the week brought a different kind of disappointment. The linebacker said he texted Ezra Christensen on Monday after Christensen’s bid for an injunction that would have allowed him a sixth season of college football was denied. Martinez and Christensen were defensive teammates at New Mexico State and had been looking at a reunion at Colorado this season.
“I shot him a text (Monday) just sending him my condolences,” Martinez said. “I know he was looking forward to playing this year.
He didn’t go through the whole draft process at our former school. I know he’s hurting right now.
That’s my guy. I feel terrible for him.
Not a lot of it makes sense right now, and I know he’s struggling with that. Just praying for him and hoping he’s doing all right.”
Sanders also brushed off any idea that the trip to Atlanta carries personal meaning because of his own past there. The Falcons made him the fifth overall pick in the 1989 draft, and he spent his first five NFL seasons in the city.
He also played more than three seasons with the Atlanta Braves. But when asked whether this felt like a full-circle return, Sanders drew a hard line.
“I have no nostalgia, to me. I’m not built like that,” Sanders said.
“If we went back to Fort Myers (Florida) I’d be happy, that’s my hometown. But, this game that I want to win very badly.
That city had some meaningful moments, but we’re going there with one purpose, and that’s to win, whether I played there or not.”
Colorado also got a notable preseason honor on defense, with Bowling Green transfer Gideon Lampron landing on the watch list for the Bednarik Award, which goes to the nation’s top defender. Lampron had 119 tackles last season, along with 17.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles, while starting all 12 games for Bowling Green.
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Deion Sanders Says Colorado Recruiting Has Taken A Big Turn
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For Sanders, the shift seems to be as much about process as it is about talent. He said he has been more involved in recruiting while also trusting a more structured staff-driven plan, a formula Colorado hopes can keep building momentum on the trail. The early results are encouraging, even if the larger payoff for a 2027 class is still a long way off and still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
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That matters for a defense looking for a better start after last seasons struggles and a fresh voice from new coordinator Chris Marve. Lefau is expected to be a key part of the run defense, and the early test against Georgia Tech will offer a first look at whether Colorados rebuilt front can carry practice habits into a real game. [Read more 🡒]