Week 1 of the 2026 college football season has already thrown Deion Sanders and Colorado into a tricky spot.
According to Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today, Sanders has been subpoenaed to testify in his son’s bankruptcy trial, and the timing lines up with the Buffaloes’ season opener at Georgia Tech. The trial is scheduled to start Monday, Aug. 31, while Colorado’s first game is set for the following Saturday.
That overlap drew attention during the Aug. 14 pre-trial conference, where presiding judge Michael E. Romero said he could see a scheduling conflict becoming an issue if Sanders tries to challenge the subpoena.
“I noticed Deion was subpoenaed,” Judge Romero said. “I’m also concerned there’s a game: CU’s first game is that same week.
So I can see that coming. I am not a CU alum or I have no ties to CU.
So I don’t care. But I’m just recognizing that is a potential issue.”
It is still not clear whether Sanders has been officially served. If he is, the next question is what he does about it. Romero said the conversation Sanders allegedly had with his son, Shilo, before the incident may matter to the court’s case.
Shilo Sanders filed for bankruptcy in 2023 with more than $11 million in debt. That debt stems from a disputed incident eight years earlier involving a former school security guard in Texas.
The guard, John DarJean, said Sanders assaulted him at Triple A Academy in Dallas and caused permanent injuries after he tried to take Sanders’ phone. DarJean later sued and received an $11.89 million default judgment against Shilo in 2022.
Now Sanders is trying to wipe out that debt in bankruptcy court, but that won’t happen if the judge decides it came from a “willful and malicious injury.”
The trial is expected to last from Aug. 31 to around Sept. 4 in Denver. Deion Sanders previously called DarJean a “grifter.”
In Other News...
Colorados Newest Big Man Adds Intrigue To Tad Boyles Frontcourt
Goc Malual is the latest addition to Colorados frontcourt puzzle, bringing a 6-foot-8 frame, pro seasoning and a background that already looks a little different from the typical college newcomer. The forward from Sydney spent last season as a development player with the Sydney Kings in the National Basketball League, and he arrives with international youth competition on his rsum as well as a clear sense of what drew him to Boulder for the 2026-27 season.
For the Buffaloes, his arrival adds another layer of intrigue to a front line that has already been reshaped. Malual has spent the summer acclimating to the program and getting comfortable with the coaching staff, and he sounds eager to test himself in the Big 12, where the physicality and pace will offer a different kind of challenge. [Read more 🡒]
Quency Wiggins Could Change Everything For Colorado's Defensive Front
Colorados defensive front is getting a fresh look this fall, and Quency Wiggins is right at the center of it. The former LSU edge rusher has been moved inside, a shift defensive tackles coach Dante Carter believes can help the Buffaloes create mismatches against opposing offensive linemen while giving the defense more ways to attack.
Carter said the staff has been experimenting with Wiggins and other edge rushers on the interior, a move that could give Colorado some needed flexibility up front. Wiggins offseason improvement has only added to the intrigue, and the way he adapts to the new role may end up being one of the quieter but more important developments for this defense. [Read more 🡒]