Sanders Sets High Bar for Colorado Football Program

Deion Sanders, new head football coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, has set the bar very high for his program.

Sanders, who went 27-6 during his tenure at Jackson State, was hired in December to oversee a Colorado team that was coming off of its worst season since 2012 and has had only two winning seasons since 2005.

Following a 1-11 campaign, Sanders told his new team that they must be able to adjust to this new level of demands and expectations.

A recent story from ESPN detailed how Sanders plans to leave his mark on the Buffaloes program.

Below is an excerpt from the ESPN story.

“It’s a whole different level of expectation around here, and you got to be able to play the game,” Sanders told ESPN. “So a certain level that might have been welcome, that level is no longer welcomed here. It’s a whole different game now.”

He has dramatically transformed the roster with transfers — including his son Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter from Jackson State — as well as recruits, such as Cormani McClain, ESPN’s top-rated cornerback, and No. 14 overall player in the 2023 class.

The 55-year-old Sanders has been very visible around town during his first two-plus months on the job, visiting local restaurants and making appearances around campus, which is nestled beneath the Flatiron rock formations.

“This place is beautiful,” Sanders said. “And I’m pretty sure, with the lack of success, is people get complacent around here. They don’t understand the beauty and the diamond you have, and they just walk around fulfilling obligations for a job, instead of being happy, enthusiastic, and just proud to be in this position.”

At his first team meeting, Sanders said change would be coming to the Buffaloes. He said he’d bring his “luggage” — several key transfers from Jackson State — and that players who didn’t want to adjust should “jump in the [transfer] portal.”

» ALSO SEE: MSU Approved for 2026 FIFA World Cup Turfgrass Testing Facility

“It’s not a hard message, because here’s the thing: A lot of people are used to being lied to,” Shedeur Sanders, who is projected as Colorado’s starting quarterback, told ESPN. “The players coming in, they’re coming to play — they’re not coming to sit. So if you’ve been here, you’re chilling, you’re thinking your spot’s good, that’s not the case. You’ve got guys wanting to play with top talent, each and every position.

“Nowadays, a lot of people are scared of the truth, and they don’t like hearing that.”

To read the full story from ESPN about Sanders and his new program, click here.