Coming off a 3-9 season, Colorado has taken a hard look at how it builds its roster, and Deion Sanders says the reset is already underway.
At Big 12 football media days earlier this week in Frisco, Tex., Sanders explained that the Buffs have shifted their recruiting priorities. Colorado pulled in several of its top transfers from Group of Five and FCS programs during January’s portal window, then added 20 and counting class of 2027 commits. The results of that overhaul still have to play out on the field, but Sanders made clear the process itself has changed.
“It was a conscious change,” Sanders said. “We changed the thought process and how we did it.
I wanted to look at every kid, and I know what I wanted. I know what we needed.”
For Sanders, the focus is no longer just on ratings or raw talent. He said Colorado is putting more weight on who the players are and how they carry themselves.
“We changed the way we went about it,” Sanders said. “We changed how we targeted kids.
The mentality means more to me than the actual, per se, ability that someone that's maybe not qualified has given these kids a four-star or five-star. The kid has an attitude because it's that.
He thinks he's like that because of that. The family comes in, and it's not a good look for them, and it's not going to work with me.”
That mindset also extends to loyalty. Sanders said Colorado is looking for players who won’t bolt at the first sign of trouble, something he sees as a major issue across the FBS.
“That's why we're getting the type of kid we want, the type of kid that I pray that don't jump in the portal as soon as the first sign (comes) of he's not successful with what he decides to do and just run,” Sanders said. “He stands there and fights the battle. I know we have those types of kids that's gonna stay in the boat.”
Sanders tied that idea to leadership and to players who can handle coaching, setbacks and pressure without unraveling. He said Colorado wants teammates who push each other and compete for the right reasons.
“Leadership and the type of kids that love the game, the type of kids that are playing for the love of the game, not for the love of money,” Sanders said. “The type of kid that don't give a darn what someone says about him, those type of kids that can recover after a bad play, a bad series, a bad quarter, and so forth.
Those type of kids that can take old school coaching, and those type of kids that are really good young men when you're not watching. Those are the type of kids that are emotionally on this trip here, representing our school.”
In Other News...
Deion Sanders Just Raised The Stakes For Colorados New Staff
Deion Sanders spent Big 12 Media Days doing what he has done since arriving in Boulder, projecting confidence and making it clear he believes Colorados latest reset can work. The Buffaloes are again leaning on a new coaching structure, with Brennan Marion stepping in on offense and Chris Marve taking over the defense, while the roster continues to churn through the transfer portal and the outside expectations remain modest.
Marion arrives from Sacramento State after a long climb through the college ranks, and Marve was elevated after Robert Livingston left for the Denver Broncos. Sanders has been blunt about the challenge and equally blunt about his belief in the group around him, especially with a young quarterback room and a season opener that will immediately test how much progress the Buffaloes have actually made. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Commit Jaiden Kelly-Murray Just Sparked New Recruiting Buzz
Jaiden Kelly-Murray is already giving Colorado fans a reason to keep an eye on the 2027 class. The three-star wide receiver, who is committed to the Buffaloes, turned heads at a recent 7v7 camp with a strong catch on a throw from Georgia commit quarterback Colton Nussmeier, another prospect drawing plenty of attention on the recruiting circuit. Kelly-Murray has backed up the buzz with productive junior and sophomore seasons in high school, and he enters the cycle as the No. 43 receiver in his class.
For Colorado, every bit of momentum matters as Deion Sanders and his staff keep building toward the future while also bracing for what could be a difficult 2026 season. The Buffaloes 2027 group is already sitting at No. 38 nationally and No. 3 in the Big 12, a step forward from where the program stood a year ago. If Kelly-Murray keeps popping in settings like this, it only adds to the sense that Colorados recruiting pitch is starting to resonate beyond just one class. [Read more 🡒]
DeAndre Moore Could Decide How Dangerous Colorados New Offense Becomes
Colorados new offense is starting to take shape under Brennan Marion, and the early signs point to a system built on play action, vertical shots and enough movement to keep defenses guessing. For all the attention on the scheme itself, the bigger question is which players can make it go, and Texas transfer DeAndre Moore Jr. looks like one of the names most likely to matter right away.
Moores fit goes beyond simply being another receiver in the room. Colorado wants players who can stress the field and hold up in the dirty work too, and that combination gives him a chance to become a central piece as the Buffaloes sort out how the Go-Go attack will look with Julian Lewis at quarterback. Danny Scudero is part of that conversation as well, but Moore may be the one who helps determine just how dangerous this offense can become. [Read more 🡒]