Deion Sanders spent part of this week trying to build something Colorado will need before the first snap is ever taken: chemistry.
Sanders opened up his Texas ranch for a leadership retreat, and about 20 Buffaloes players made the trip. With so many new faces expected to be part of the 2026 roster, the gathering gave teammates a chance to get around each other away from the practice field and start tightening the bonds that matter once the games begin.
That kind of connection is no small thing for Colorado right now. College football rosters change fast in the NIL and transfer portal era, and the Buffaloes are dealing with a heavy wave of turnover.
Rivals lists Colorado with 43 incoming players from the transfer portal this offseason, along with a number of high school recruits. The result is a team that should look very different from the one that went 3-9 in 2025.
The retreat came at a time when Sanders is trying to reset the program after another difficult season. Colorado missed a bowl game for the second time in three years under Sanders, who is entering Year 4 in Boulder with a 16-21 record.
The staff has also been reshaped. Colorado brought in Brennan Marion, the former Sacramento State coach, to run the offense after he led the Hornets to a 7-5 mark in 2025. Marion’s calling card is his go-go offense, a fast-paced system that keeps the quarterback in the shotgun with multiple running backs on the field.
That hire was meant to get an offense moving after Colorado never really found a rhythm last season.
Defensively, Sanders turned to Chris Marve. He was originally brought in as the linebackers coach, but after Robert Livingston left for the Denver Broncos, Sanders elevated Marve to defensive coordinator before he coached a game in that first role. Marve previously served as Virginia Tech’s defensive coordinator from 2022-2024.
At quarterback, the job appears to be headed to redshirt freshman Julian Lewis when the season opens. Lewis played in four games last season as a true freshman and threw for 589 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Even with the personnel changes and the fresh coaching setup, the betting market is not expecting a big leap. DraftKings Sportsbook has Colorado’s win total at 4.5, with the over listed at +134 and the under at -160.
In Other News...
Colorado Makes Another Aggressive Move To Secure Its Kicking Future
Colorado is making a clear point about special teams planning, even with the season still unfolding. After adding kicker Cadel Ayala in a recent commitment, the Buffaloes have now extended an offer to 2027 specialist Dwayne Carter, another step in a deliberate effort to stock the room with more than just a single option. Right now, Colorado has one kicker in Elliot Arnold, and the staff is trying to get ahead of the kind of depth concerns that can creep in when a roster gets too thin at one of the sports most unforgiving jobs.
Carters recruitment has only just started to take shape, but Colorado is already involved early and has gotten him on campus for workouts. For a program that has seen enough uncertainty at the position to prioritize specialists again, that kind of early contact matters. The Buffaloes are not just chasing an insurance policy for the present, either, because the aim is to keep the kicking pipeline stable well beyond the immediate roster cycle. [Read more 🡒]
Coach Prime And Key Buffs Head To Big 12 Spotlight
Deion Sanders and several Colorado players are set to head into the conference spotlight next summer, with the Buffaloes scheduled to attend the 2026 Monster Energy Big 12 Football Media Days on July 7 in Frisco, Texas. The annual event brings together coaches and student-athletes from around the league, offering one of the first real chance points for teams to frame the season ahead before a national audience.
For Colorado, the trip will come with the usual questions about roster shape, expectations and how Sanders wants to present his program going into another Big 12 campaign. The event will also carry a meaningful tribute, as the conference plans to honor the late Adam Munsterteiger during the day, adding a more personal note to a showcase built around football and the people who cover it. [Read more 🡒]
Coach Prime Era Momentum Faces A New Test In Boulder
Colorados season-ticket surge under Deion Sanders is showing some wear, even if the broader picture still reflects a program that has climbed well past where it stood before his arrival. The school had sold 20,284 season tickets for 2026 as of Tuesday afternoon, a number that trails last years pace but still keeps the Buffaloes ahead of their pre-Prime baseline and firmly in a different neighborhood than the one the program occupied just a few years ago.
The more telling wrinkle is the drop in renewals, which has slipped to 78.3 percent after sitting near 98 percent in previous years. CU still expects to finish with more season tickets sold than it did before Sanders took over, but this marks a new test for the business side of the boom in Boulder and a reminder that even in a heightened era, maintaining momentum can be harder than creating it. [Read more 🡒]