Colorado has put the numbers on its 2026-27 women’s basketball roster, and the list comes with a familiar sight for Buffaloes fans: No. 2 will again belong to Kennedy Sanders.
Sanders is set to wear the number for the third straight season, keeping the “Sanders” name attached to a Colorado No. 2 jersey. That number carries extra recognition around Boulder, too, after Colorado football retired No. 2 last year for former Buffs quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Shedeur Sanders played for Colorado in 2023 and 2024 before being selected in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, and he wore No. 2 in both seasons.
Kennedy Sanders is heading into her junior year after a solid sophomore campaign in 2025-26, when she averaged 9.3 points, 2.2 assists and 1.1 rebounds per game.
Colorado’s roster also reflects a busy offseason in the transfer portal. The biggest departure was leading scorer Desiree Wooten, who moved on to NC State after averaging 13.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists last season.
Even with that loss, the Buffs are bringing back another major piece in Zyanna Walker. The junior guard was Colorado’s second-leading scorer a year ago, putting up 11.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
The Buffaloes are aiming to reach the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row and the fifth time in six seasons. Last year, Colorado finished 22-12 overall and 11-7 in Big 12 play, earned a No. 10 seed in the tournament and fell in the first round to No. 7 Illinois.
JR Payne is set to begin her 11th season leading the program in 2026-27. She has been in charge since 2016 and has compiled a 186-128 record in Boulder, with NCAA Tournament appearances in four seasons and Sweet 16 runs in back-to-back years in 2023 and 2024.
The jersey numbers for the roster are below.
In Other News...
DeAndre Moore Jr. Is Giving Colorado Fans Real Reason To Believe
Preseason lists do not win games, but they do tell you where the buzz is starting to build, and DeAndre Moore Jr. is firmly in that conversation for Colorado. ESPN analyst Dane Brugler slotted the Buffaloes wideout No. 7 among senior receivers nationally, while also placing him No. 26 overall in the transfer portal rankings, a tidy reminder that Moore arrives with both pedigree and expectation attached.
For Colorado, the intrigue is less about the ranking itself and more about what it could mean once the season starts. Moore is expected to be part of a deep receiver group and a key target for quarterback Julian Lewis, giving the Buffaloes another proven piece to lean on as they try to turn optimism into production. The bigger question now is how quickly that recognition translates into a real role on Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Fans Just Got Another Reason To Worry About Ezra Christensen
Colorados defensive line picture already had enough moving parts heading into the season, and Ezra Christensens situation only adds to the uncertainty. The Buffaloes brought him in as a defensive tackle with real production behind him from New Mexico State, where he finished with 11 tackles for loss and six sacks, but his long-term availability is now tangled up in a waiver fight that has left his 2026 status unresolved.
Attorney Darren Heitner says the NCAA canceled Christensens waiver without weighing important parts of his background, including his adoption, his childhood in Sierra Leone and the way COVID-19 disrupted his senior season. For Colorado, the practical problem is immediate: the staff has to keep building out contingency plans at tackle with Santana Hopper, Quincy Wiggins, Samu Taumanupepe and Sedrick Smith all looming as possible answers if Christensens path back onto the field stays cloudy. [Read more 🡒]