Deion Sanders walked into Big 12 Football Media Days with the clearest health update he’s delivered since his battle with bladder cancer changed the course of his Colorado tenure.
The Buffaloes coach said he’s back to full strength, and he framed the moment as something his younger self would be proud of. Sanders was direct about the difference between last year’s event and where he stands now heading into 2026.
“My younger self would be proud that I was here last year fighting a battle called cancer, and now I'm here with full strength, full energy,” said Sanders during his main stage press conference. “I got that thing back, I got that swagger back, I got that dog back, I got that charisma back."
That’s a far different picture from Big 12 Football Media Days in 2025, when Sanders was in the middle of the toughest stretch of his fight. He said the toll was obvious then, even in the way he showed up.
"See, last year I had shorts on under the suit, I had a sweat suit on under the suit, because I was probably 15 pounds down, looking like Eddie Kane up here, for those of you that have seen the Five Heartbeats,” Sanders said. “But now I'm ready, I'm back, I'm trying, I'm close to 204 [pounds], I'm back, baby, like, like I cannot wait.
I cannot wait to get back on that sideline and do our thing. I can't wait to get back to camp.
I can't wait to get back in.”
Sanders recently said he was cancer-free ahead of the 2026 campaign, and his return to full involvement matters for Colorado on multiple fronts. He missed almost all of the Buffs’ 2025 preseason while dealing with the illness, and that absence was felt throughout the program.
Colorado’s on-field play slipped, the locker room struggled to find steady leaders, and the team’s chemistry faded as losses piled up. The ripple effects reached beyond game days, too.
Recruiting took a hit while Sanders was sidelined, and Colorado also had a rough run in the transfer portal, landing very few standout players despite bringing in a large number of additions.
Now Sanders is back in the mix, and Colorado has already started to benefit. The Buffs have picked up momentum on the recruiting trail and put together one of the more promising portal classes around. The results on the field still have to play out, but the mood in Boulder is clearly different with Sanders back in the building.
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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 🡒]