Colorado got a rough update on Monday, and it landed hardest with one of Ezra Christensen’s former teammates.
New Mexico State transfer defensive lineman Ezra Christensen was denied his preliminary injunction for eligibility for the 2026 season, a ruling that leaves his football future in serious doubt. Christensen had been projected as a major piece for Colorado’s defensive front, but the decision means his career is effectively finished.
For linebacker Tyler Martinez, the news hit close to home. Martinez transferred to Colorado with Christensen and had already built a bond with him during their time together in Las Cruces. He said he was quick to reach out once the ruling came down.
“I shot him a text yesterday, just sending him my condolences because I know he was looking forward to playing this year,” Martinez said. “He didn’t go through the draft process at our former school. So I know he’s hurting right now.”
Martinez and Christensen spent the 2025 season together, and Martinez knows what it’s like to see a football dream get interrupted. Christensen had to watch Martinez go through a season-ending injury, which at minimum pushed back Martinez’s NFL hopes. Now Martinez is watching the same kind of disappointment hit Christensen, only this time the damage may be permanent.
The two did get a brief run together in Boulder. Christensen was able to spend the spring with the Buffaloes before the case unfolded, and that ended up being the only football they shared at Colorado.
Martinez said the uncertainty around the ruling has been tough to process.
“That’s my guy,” Martinez said. “I feel terrible for him because not a lot of it makes sense right now, and I know he’s struggling with that. So I’m just praying for him and hoping he’s doing alright.”
Christensen’s path through college football has been a winding one. He played at the JUCO level at San Diego Mesa College in 2022, then spent 2023 and 2024 at Fresno State before moving to New Mexico State in 2025.
The ruling also stands out because other players with longer FBS runs, including Bear Alexander and Justin Flowe, are expected to keep their eligibility and play this season.
Still, Colorado may be able to turn part of the situation into a roster solution elsewhere. Coach Deion Sanders has said he wants more from kickers Elliot Arnold and Cadel Ayala, and the Buffaloes now have a chance to add competition in that room.
The options are not exactly brand new, though. A recent court ruling gave players from the 2022 high school class an extra year of eligibility, and that has brought attention to two familiar names around Boulder: Buck Buchanan and Alejandro Mata.
“Certainly, we'd like to have several guys that played prior with us that are eligible; I think Buck [Buchanan] is one, [Alejandro] Mata may be another, and a couple others. But we have people in place to do that job, and Fernando [Lovo] is on it, as well as other persons from this university.
We're going to do the right thing, as long as Georgia Tech doesn't have any players that are activated. We're good,” said Sanders in his Monday presser.
Colorado would welcome either kicker back. Buchanan would help with touchbacks on kickoffs, while Mata would bring steadiness in field goal work. But with the regular season nearing, the window to make meaningful roster changes is getting smaller by the day.
In Other News...
Colorado Is Betting Big On A Louder Folsom Field Edge
Colorado is leaning further into the idea that Folsom Field should feel like more than just a stadium on fall Saturdays. The University of Colorado Athletics announced a new batch of in-game fan experiences, including live music from local bands, a new in-game host in Gianna Girardi and upgraded video board displays, all aimed at making the home atmosphere louder and more layered for Buffaloes fans.
The changes also reach beyond the seating bowl, with a pregame street party called Ralphies Road set to bring food trucks, a giant TV, a DJ and interactive games into the mix. Colorado opens its 2026 season at Georgia Tech before coming back to Boulder, where the program will find out how much these additions can help turn Folsom Field into the kind of edge the Buffaloes want every week. [Read more 🡒]
Colorados Restored Receiver Group Faces One Big Opener Concern
Kam Perry and Danny Scudero are back on the field for Colorado, working in a non-contact capacity as the Buffaloes continue to prepare for the 2026 season opener. Their return is a welcome development for a receiver room that has already dealt with injuries to key pieces, and it gives Deion Sanders offense a chance to regain some much-needed depth before the games start counting.
The timing also matters because Colorado is turning to new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, whose system should benefit from having more options available on the perimeter. Sanders had already said both receivers would be back in time for the opener, and while their presence at practice is encouraging, the bigger question now is how quickly they can be fully integrated once the full-speed work begins. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Now Has An Off-Field Issue Hanging Over Colorado
As Colorado pushes deeper into the season, Deion Sanders is dealing with an off-field matter that could still follow him into early September. A bankruptcy court judge ruled that Sanders must be available to potentially testify virtually on Sept. 4 in the bankruptcy trial involving his son, Shilo Sanders, giving the Buffaloes coach another public complication to navigate while trying to keep the football focus on his team.
The testimony would only come into play on a rebuttal basis if the defense opens the door to prior testimony, and at the moment that does not appear to be the plan. Shilo Sanders is seeking to discharge more than $11 million tied to a 2022 default judgment from a 2015 altercation with John Darjean, leaving one more layer of legal uncertainty hanging over a family already under plenty of scrutiny. [Read more 🡒]