Colorado Football’s Offseason Exodus Raises Eyebrows as Transfer Portal Opens
The Colorado Buffaloes are heading into the 2026 offseason with more questions than answers-and not the kind you want if you're trying to build a winning program. Under Deion Sanders, Colorado has never been short on headlines, but this time, the story isn’t about hype or Hollywood-level production. It’s about key contributors walking out the door, and a coaching staff that’s gone quiet at the worst possible time.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t your typical post-season portal churn. Every program loses players.
Depth guys want more snaps, and sometimes the fit just isn’t there. But what’s happening in Boulder right now?
It’s different. This is talent the Buffaloes were counting on.
This is the core.
Not Just Depth - Real Contributors Are Leaving
Take Dre’lon Miller. A player Coach Prime has publicly praised, someone the staff had plans for.
His departure wasn’t on anyone’s radar a month ago. Now he’s in the portal.
Even more alarming? Tawfiq Byard.
He wasn’t just another name on the roster-he was arguably Colorado’s most consistent defender in 2025. Losing a player of that caliber is a gut punch, especially for a defense that struggled to find its identity last season.
And then there’s Tyler Brown-a player whose story goes beyond the field. Brown followed Sanders from Jackson State, seeking not just opportunity but support.
After dealing with the loss of his coach and facing mental health challenges, Colorado gave him a place to land. The NCAA denied his waiver for immediate eligibility in 2023, citing his reason for transfer, but he stuck around.
In 2025, he became one of Sanders’ rare two-way players, contributing on both the offensive and defensive lines. His exit?
That’s not just a roster move-that’s a red flag.
Defensive Line Exodus: A Problem for Sapp
Warren Sapp, Colorado’s pass rush coordinator, has his work cut out for him-and that’s putting it mildly. When the portal officially reopens on January 2, he’ll be down six defensive linemen: Brandon Davis-Swain, Jehiem Oatis, Christian Hudson, Tawfiq Thomas, Gavriel Lightfoot, and Alexander McPherson.
That’s a full room walking out.
Davis-Swain, McPherson, Thomas, and Oatis weren’t just bodies-they were the 5th through 9th most productive defensive linemen in 2025. That leaves just two impact linemen from last season expected to return.
The top of the depth chart last year featured veterans like Arden Walker and Amari McNeill, both fifth-year seniors, and younger talent like freshman London Merritt and junior Anquan Barnes-neither of whom are in the portal. But the middle of that rotation?
Gone.
Colorado’s defensive line was already thin. Now it’s a rebuild from scratch.
Silence from the Social Media Machine
What’s just as puzzling as the departures is the silence that’s followed. This is a program that’s made headlines as much for its online presence as its on-field product.
Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes have dominated social media since he arrived in Boulder. But now, as the roster thins and the portal opens, the noise has gone quiet.
Sanders is still posting-just not about Colorado football. His usual motivational messages are there, but anything team-related has been cryptic at best.
A few thank-yous to players who stayed. A shoutout here and there.
But no clear signs of a plan, no breadcrumbs like we’ve seen in past offseasons.
If there’s a strategy in place, it’s being kept close to the vest. And that’s fine-coaches aren’t obligated to broadcast every move. But when you’ve built a brand on transparency, energy, and hype, the sudden shift to radio silence raises questions.
Sapp’s Social Media Adds to the Mystery
Warren Sapp hasn’t exactly helped calm the waters. On December 19, while his defensive line room was falling apart, he was tweeting about the Ms.
Cosmo Pageant-complete with hashtags and TV promos. Then, just days later, he was online complaining about his Cotton Bowl ticket options from the University of Miami.
Again, coaches are human. They’re allowed to have lives outside of football. But when your position group is hemorrhaging talent and your social media feed is focused on anything but recruiting or rebuilding, fans and observers are going to take notice.
Prime’s Promise vs. Present Reality
To his credit, Sanders hasn’t shied away from admitting that 2025 wasn’t good enough. In his last media availability, he didn’t sugarcoat it.
"This is what I've been called to do and to take a L, take a L, take a L, you have no idea how that is to a winner," Sanders said. "You can be a loser or a guy who lost games. I'd rather be a guy who lost games, because I'm not a loser."
He also made it clear that changes were coming. Some have already happened-new coordinators, new position coaches.
He talked about players he believed would be pros. He spoke highly of Brandon Davis-Swain.
But now both Davis-Swain and Alexander McPherson are in the portal.
It’s a tough look when the players you’re publicly counting on are the ones heading for the exit.
The Optics Matter
There are NCAA rules that limit what coaches can say about recruits or portal targets. No one’s asking Sanders or Sapp to lay out their entire strategy. But when the most visible program in college football suddenly goes dark, it’s going to spark speculation.
Right now, Colorado fans are left in the dark, hoping that silence means something big is brewing behind the scenes. But if there’s no plan?
If this is just the offseason being treated like an offseason? Then the noise around the Buffs isn’t going to die down-it’s going to grow louder.
The portal opens in less than two weeks. We’ll find out soon enough if Coach Prime is ready to flip the script-or if the Buffaloes are in for another long year in the trenches.