The first week of fall camp gave Colorado’s coaches plenty to like, and each one pointed to a different reason the Buffaloes came away feeling good about where things stand.
For Deion Sanders, the biggest win had less to do with a drill or a depth chart and more to do with the environment. Colorado opened fall camp 2026 in Colorado Springs, more than an hour and a half from Boulder, and the setup was designed to keep the group locked in on football.
No visitors. No outside food.
Phone use monitored. Bus travel only.
The result, Sanders said, was a team that started to come together fast.
“We love it,” Sanders said on Thursday. “We're bonding.
We're getting closer. We're getting to know each other.
We're getting to know each other a lot more because we're in one unit at all times, night and day, and it's been phenomenal.”
That same controlled setting seemed to bring out what Brennan Marion wanted most from his group: edge in the trenches. The offensive coordinator singled out the offensive line as one of the most encouraging parts of the opening week, praising the way the unit played with force while still leaving room to sharpen the details.
“So, for our guys, the guys that we recruited up front, that's their natural habitat of being violent and over the top,” Marion said on Wednesday. “So, we just have to scale those guys back a little bit and continue to work their technique, but as far as the physicality and the violence, if you were able to see practice today, you would see a lot of bodies hitting the ground. It was very violent in the trenches.”
Chris Marve also liked what he saw from Colorado’s first stretch of camp, though he kept his evaluation grounded in the reality that the tape would tell the fuller story. Still, the defensive coordinator said the Buffaloes showed clear progress and were meeting the standard the staff keeps hammering home.
“Certainly growth between practice one and practice two,” Marve said on Tuesday. “I haven't had a chance to evaluate the tape.
We have an adage in coaching: it's never as good as you think, or it's never as bad as you think. Until you watch the tape, then you get a sense of reality.
I think they're communicating really well. They're playing together.
We preach a lot about violence and aggression, relentless effort. I think that's been pretty visible.”
Colorado is back in Boulder for Week 2 of fall camp, and the coaches’ early read is clear: the foundation they wanted in Week 1 was there.
In Other News...
Deion Sanders Is Chasing A Quarterback Battle Colorado Fans Will Notice
Colorado has added another name to its quarterback board, extending a scholarship offer to Trey Wright, a sophomore at Lone Star High School in Texas. Wright already has the kind of resume that draws attention early, putting together a 2025 season with more than 4,000 passing yards and 38 touchdowns while also showing he can create damage on the ground, which is the sort of dual-threat profile that naturally fits the way Deion Sanders and his staff like to keep options open.
Trey Wright's recruitment is only going to get more crowded from here, and Colorado is stepping into a race that already has plenty of heavyweight suitors. With interest coming from a long list of Power Four and FBS programs, the Buffaloes are trying to stay involved early on a player whose market is moving fast, even before he reaches the point where the next round of visits and offers starts to separate the contenders. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Sent Colorado A Message With This Unusual Camp Stop
Colorados off-campus fall camp included a stop that looked a little different from the usual football itinerary, as Deion Sanders and his team visited the U.S. Air Force Academy. Sanders was presented with a customized Air Force pilot helmet during the trip, and the Buffaloes also met with coach Troy Calhoun and academy players, getting a firsthand look at the balance of military demands and football expectations that define life there.
For a Colorado program still shaping its habits ahead of the season opener, the visit offered more than a photo opportunity. It gave the Buffaloes a chance to see a different kind of discipline and structure before heading back to Boulder to continue camp, and it fit neatly into Sanders broader approach of using every available setting to sharpen his team. [Read more 🡒]