Deion Sanders is heading back to a city that still means something to him, but the Colorado coach made it clear Tuesday that Atlanta is about the Buffs’ opener, not his own past.
Colorado will start the season on Sept. 3 against Georgia Tech in Atlanta, the same city where Sanders built part of his pro legacy as a Falcons cornerback from 1989-1993 and a Braves outfielder from 1991-94. Sanders said the focus is on getting the job done on Thursday night.
“Let’s think about going to Atlanta and handling our business on Thursday night and in front of the whole world, and then that being our stage,” he said during Big 12 media day on Tuesday. “We’re going to take one game at a time, man.”
He later added a little humor on ESPN: “I got the coaches on curfew, not the kids (in Atlanta).”
The Buffs will also have a familiar feel in the lineup with several players from Georgia, including quarterback JuJu Lewis, who starred at Carrollton High School, about an hour outside Atlanta.
“It’s a blessing getting that opportunity to go out there and compete with Georgia Tech,” Lewis said. “I think every game’s important for us, and Georgia Tech’s just the first team on the block, so I think just go out there and get ready to dominate.”
Sanders also used media day to reflect on what coaching has taught him. His coaching career stretches back to youth football and includes six seasons as a college head coach, and he said the biggest lesson has been patience.
“As a coach, patience,” he said. “It’s taught me tremendous patience.
It taught me that a lot of young men want to benefit from the game financially. A lot of young men want to benefit from the game because they love the game.
And you got to really understand there are two sides to this coin and make sure you’re flipping these kids on the right side because it’s a whole different game.
“Sometimes you can’t get stuck in the old ways. You got to go forward and welcome and invite some of the new school ways and adapt to them.
Thank God I got kids; I got five of them that keep me on my toes, keep me on my game, and keep me hip to what’s coming, and what’s going on right now. So I’m thankful for that.”
Colorado is trying to turn the page after a 3-8 season that included four losses by one score and two more that stayed tight into the fourth quarter. Senior safety Ben Finneseth said the lesson from those games is simple: the Buffs have to finish.
“In those close-scoring games, you got to know that we have each other’s back,” he said, “and we got to know as a team and a collective unit, we have to be one thought that, ‘We’re not losing this game. Like, that’s not an option.’
“That’s kind of the thing that we were missing last year, is you get into those moments and it’s like you look to your left and to your right and it’s like, ‘Do you want to win? Or are you just here to collect the check and move on?’
That was the frustrating part about last year, but I can promise you that is not the way that these guys are operating this year. So, it’s going to be exciting.”
In Other News...
Julian Lewis Just Raised A Troubling Question About Colorados QB Development
Julian Lewis spent his true freshman season learning what life looks like when the college game starts moving faster than the prep level, and Colorado is now trying to make sure that lesson comes with some structure. The Buffaloes overhauled their staff after a 2025 season in which the offense never found much rhythm, bringing in Brennan Marion to run the attack and giving the program a fresh start on that side of the ball.
The bigger concern is what Lewis own comments suggest about how he was being developed. Colorado needs its young quarterback to grow into a more complete operator, not just a talented arm, and the new coaching setup is clearly built to push him in that direction. With Chris Marve also joining the staff on defense, the Buffs are spending the offseason trying to reset the whole operation, but the quarterback question may be the one that matters most when 2026 arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Just Changed The Pressure On Colorados New QB
Deion Sanders latest update on Colorado came with a reminder that the Buffaloes rebuild is about more than just the quarterback room. As he continues his own recovery from bladder cancer, Sanders has been talking about restoring the programs competitiveness while also easing the burden on Julian Lewis, the young starter who is stepping into a much bigger role than most players his age are asked to handle. The message around Boulder is clear: the offense needs to be steadier, the quarterback needs better protection, and the new pieces around him have to help carry some of the load.
One of those pieces is receiver Danny Scudero, who Sanders has pointed to as an important offensive presence as Colorado adjusts under new coordinator Brennan Marion. The scheme itself is changing, too, with the Buffaloes leaning into a different look and trying to create more structure for Lewis rather than asking him to do everything. Sanders has been careful not to overstate what the freshman needs to be right away, but the way he talks about Scudero and the new system suggests Colorado is trying to make the job as manageable as possible while still expecting the offense to take a real step forward. [Read more 🡒]
Danny Scudero Sounds Ready To Be Colorados Next Must-Watch Weapon
Danny Scudero arrived at Colorado with the kind of confidence the Buffaloes can use in a receiver room that has been reshuffled and reloaded again. The San Jose State transfer spoke at Big 12 media days about how eager he is for the season, his place in the offense and the chemistry he has been building with teammates, while also showing plenty of appreciation for Brennan Marions system and the way it is designed to put playmakers in position to make an impact.
Scudero also made clear he has a chip on his shoulder after being left off the preseason All-Big 12 team, a slight he believes he should have avoided. Colorados passing game is getting some added optimism from the return of healthy DeAndre Moore Jr. and Joseph Williams, and Scuderos arrival only adds to the sense that there are more options emerging around the Buffaloes offense than there were a year ago. [Read more 🡒]