Deion Sanders had plenty to like when Colorado came off the field Monday, and he made that clear in a message that should stand out to Buffaloes fans.
Right after practice wrapped, Sanders gathered the team and told them what he thought. In a YouTube video posted by Well Off Media, he said, “Great practice today considering it’s a Monday.
This is a great practice today,” Sanders said. “You guys exceeded all expectations, and I like it.”
Colorado is still more than a month from opening the 2026 season, but Sanders is trying to steer the program back in the right direction after a rough 2025. The Buffaloes went 3-9 last year, with just one of those victories coming against an FBS opponent. It was the fewest wins in a season for a Deion Sanders-led Colorado team.
Through three seasons in Boulder from 2023 through 2025, Sanders owns a 16-21 record. His tenure has followed a strange pattern so far: bowl game one year, no bowl the next. Colorado missed the postseason in 2023 at 4-8, then shocked plenty of people in 2024 by going 9-3 in the regular season and reaching the Alamo Bowl.
Now comes the reset.
This version of the Buffs looks very different from the one that stumbled through 2025. Colorado brought in 43 transfer portal players this offseason, one of the biggest portal hauls in college football, while 36 players from last year’s team moved on. If this group comes up short again, it won’t be because Sanders simply ran it back with the same roster.
There’s been turnover on the coaching staff, too. Brennan Marion is in as offensive coordinator after one season as the head coach at Sacramento State in 2025. His offense put up 33.8 points per game, and the Hornets improved from three wins in 2024 to 7-5 under Marion.
Sanders also made a change on defense. Colorado hired Chris Marve as linebackers coach this offseason, and after Robert Livingston left for an assistant coaching job with the Denver Broncos, Marve moved into the defensive coordinator role. Marve brings coordinator experience from Virginia Tech, where he held that post from 2022 to 2024.
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Colorados New Offense Is Bringing Back A Role Fans Missed
Brennan Marions arrival as Colorados incoming offensive coordinator is already changing the conversation around what this offense can look like. His Go-Go system leans into a style that has nearly vanished from college football, and one of the most noticeable pieces is the return of the fullback, a role that has long carried a little extra nostalgia for Buffaloes fans who remember when it was part of the programs offensive identity.
The interest is not just about old-school flavor, either. Colorados staff is sorting through how the new scheme fits personnel, with tight ends coach Josh Niblett helping shape the transition as the Buffs build out the plan. For a fan base that has watched the fullback fade away from the modern game, the idea of bringing it back adds a layer of intrigue to spring and summer camp, even if the real answer to how it will look on Saturdays is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Deions New Buffs Coach Is Trying To Bring Back Colorado Toughness
Josh Niblett arrived in Boulder in January with a reputation built far from the college game, coming in after a highly successful high school coaching run and a playing career as an Alabama quarterback. Now part of Deion Sanders staff as tight ends coach, Niblett has embraced the change of scenery and the new challenge, even as the move has meant being away from his family in Georgia. His addition fits into a larger effort around the program to reshape the day-to-day feel inside the building.
Andre Gurode is making a similar push on the offensive line, where the former Pro Bowl center is trying to build a more competitive edge and reintroduce the kind of toughness Colorado wants to be known for. There are also smaller signs of a changing locker room and campus culture, like punter Damon Greaves connecting with the new Australian basketball players around school. It all points to a program still being remade, not just in scheme and staffing, but in the personality it wants to project. [Read more 🡒]