Colorado Buffaloes: Deion Sanders defends son, sometimes it’s okay ‘not’ to tweet; and unanswered roster questions
Colorado Buffaloes: Deion Sanders defends son, sometimes it’s okay ‘not’ to tweet; and unanswered roster questions
It's been close to a week since the Twitter war erupted between the Sanders and former players, it's time we delve into what happened and how it could affect the Buffaloes as a whole
Last week, Deion Sanders, the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, participated in an online confrontation with The Athletic, Austin Peay’s football team, various other individuals, his son, Shedeur Sanders, and some of his team members.
In response to a recent report made by Xavier Smith, a former safety for the Buffaloes, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders defended Coach Prime and refuted Smith’s claim that he was eroding players’ self-belief behind closed doors.
A piece written by Max Olsen, a journalist for The Athletic, triggered the altercation. The transfer portal captured the journey and experiences of 53 players who joined after Deion Sanders became the coach at Colorado. This specific article provided a platform for players who left Colorado to express their thoughts, allowing them to share their perspectives that might have been overlooked. The author did a great job with this article, effectively documenting the journeys of these players. In my opinion, there were no flaws in the piece, but others did not perceive it the same way.
The Sanders family might be frustrated with the article from Max Olson at the Athletic, as well as the quote from Austin Peay defensive back Xavier Smith, “We sat on the sofa, and (Deion Sanders) is talking to us, but he’s not even looking at us. I’m looking (at Defensive Coordinator Charles) Kelly, dead in his eyes. (Sanders) said he felt like I should hit the portal. He didn’t want me to waste a year thinking I could earn a spot. I was actually getting mad, like tears coming to my eyes. Because, bro, you never even tried to get to know me.”
Shedeur Sanders, who quoted the story on social media, said (I don’t) even remember him (to be honest). Bro had to be very mid at best,” Shedeur Sanders tweeted last Tuesday.
That prompted someone on social media to say that he should “quit acting like the coldest man on the planet,” and Deion Sanders defended his son with a jab about the 2025 NFL Draft, in which the Buffs quarterback is favored to be the first overall pick.
However, Deion Sanders didn’t stop there and continued on. Additionally, he commented on defensive back Jaheim Ward’s 2023 performance, where he made eight solo tackles and defended four passes, expressing his surprise with the phrase “Lawd Jesus.”
Ward previously stood up for Smith, his former teammate with the Governors, saying that people shouldn’t be “trying to downplay” his remarks. If that wasn’t enough to warrant a reply from Deion Sanders, Ward also recently posted that it was “crazy” that he had “more pass deflections” than his other son, Colorado safety Shilo Sanders — along with a couple of not-so-friendly clown emojis.
Smith’s effectiveness for the Buffaloes was hindered by injuries. In 2023, he received freshman All-America recognition while playing for FCS Austin Peay. Since then, he has joined coach Scotty Walden at UTEP.
The existence of social media doesn’t necessarily mean you must go out of your way to use it, especially to such an extent. It is completely unacceptable to engage in immature quarrels in front of the entire college football audience. As a leader of young men, Deion Sanders must set a higher standard for himself. Once upon a time, your words were unnecessary as your play on the field spoke volumes. Ever since joining the Buffaloes, Colorado football and the Sanders have faced intense scrutiny. This recent outburst serves as a reminder that sometimes it’s better to ignore individuals with a small following (200+ followers) when you have a massive following (5 million followers), in order to handle situations more effectively.
Did Deion Sanders and son Shedeur go too far with the social media exchanges?
On one side of the coin, I get it. I really do. You’re going to battle for your dad, your coach. You’re defending him, the program, and the players on the team. In situations like this, you have to defend your troops. Truly, I get it. However, it is more effective and respectful to find alternative ways to express oneself or discuss others without resorting to negative comments about former teammates.
As the quarterback, you hold the role of team leader both on and off the field, and your teammates often look to you for guidance. Proper representation of yourself, the team, and the coaching staff is crucial.
Publicly supporting your current teammates on Twitter while simultaneously criticizing a former teammate can damage your reputation. Your teammates are likely to notice and may follow suit. Which is the way it played out.
If I’m in the Shedeur Sanders camp, I’d pull him to the side and say hey you need to help yourself now, so it helps you a year from now, and that means being more professional and tactful about how you attack certain scenarios like a Twitter beef with ex-teammates. I’m all about defending your family and your brothers, but somebody also needs to show him the bigger picture; you’re constantly under the NFL microscope, especially being a high-value prospect as he currently is. This Twitter war that happened only hurt his draft stock.
If I’m in Deion Sanders camp, We’ve quickly reached the point where everyone involved should probably stop tweeting. Standing up for his son, Deion’s actions are admirable and reflect what any father would do if their child were in Shedeur’s situation. However, you are a head coach at Colorado University, belittling and blasting former players on social media is definitely not the way to go and is something a head coach is supposed to rise above. It’s ok to simply say what every coach says and call it ‘toxic’ or ‘let everyone talk, we’ll do the work here’ type of thing, but this is a bridge too far. It simply is not a good look for a coach to make fun of players on social media. It’s not something a head coach at any school should be doing publicly.
The main takeaway is to avoid tweeting, as certain matters are best left private rather than being shared publicly for anyone with a social media account to see and pry into what goes on behind closed doors. When your program and players are already under scrutiny, it’s best not to engage in trash-talking about departed players, especially in public forums like social media.
I’m okay with trash-talking, as it’s a normal part of the game. However, just like what happened last year before the Oregon game, at some point, you’ll need to prove your words. They will need to back up their trash talk throughout the entire season, and based on my calculations, they are expected to win no more than 5.5 games. Take into consideration that they had a record of four wins last year. Coming into the Big 12 this season, it’s not going to be easy, and I’m just going to say their first game this season is North Dakota State, and I’ll leave it at that.
Shedeur Sanders saw his draft stock take a hit after calling out his Xavier Smith on social media. Sanders opened at +100 on DraftKings to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft but has since seen his stock drop considerably, with oddsmakers moving him down to +300. While I still believe Shedeur has the potential to be a great leader, it is important to address the issues with social media and minimize distractions.
Questions still surround Colorado’s roster
The Buffaloes finished the season with a record of 4-8 (1-8 in Pac-12 play), placing them at the bottom of the conference. This was their first season under Coach Prime’s leadership.
Shedeur Sanders had an exceptional season last year, particularly when he was well-protected. In spite of facing constant battering and being sacked more than 50 times in the previous fall, Sanders still managed to record impressive numbers in 11 games. Last season, he achieved an impressive 3,230 passing yards, throwing 27 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Additionally, he boasted a passer rating of 151.7 and completed 69.3% of his passes.
Colorado’s program has once again been the center of attention during the spring transfer portal window for the second consecutive year. The high-profile departures this year, which consist of three starters, three running backs, and two cornerbacks among the 36 players who are expected to join other teams in the upcoming fall, pose a significant challenge for Deion Sanders as he prepares for the 2024-25 season.
Can the offensive line make any progress in terms of improvement? The Buffaloes had a poor performance in blocking last season, ranking among the FBS’ worst teams. They allowed 56 sacks and had a rushing average of only 2.3 yards per carry. Both marks ranked as the worst in the Power Five and doomed Colorado during a 4-8 debut under Deion Sanders.
Colorado’s primary concern under head coach Deion Sanders is recruiting high school players. The Buffaloes only secured 12 recruits in the 2024 recruiting class, making it the second-weakest class in the Big 12. So far this year, Colorado has only announced three commitments.
Colorado is looking to strengthen their team by utilizing the transfer portal. Last season, the Buffaloes made a significant move by signing 51 transfers, earning them the highest-ranked transfer portal class nationwide. This year, Sanders managed to secure the commitment of 35 players from the portal, solidifying his position with another highly ranked Top-10 transfer portal class in the nation.
We have not seen a team this focused on the portal over high school recruiting in the transfer portal era. It remains an unproven strategy in this age of college football, but Deion Sanders and Colorado will aim to defy the odds next season. According to 247Sports’ recruiting rankings, Colorado is ranked 15th in the Big 12 and 80th overall. According to the On3 team rankings, Colorado is ranked 57th overall and 12th in the conference. It’s okay to bring in multiple transfers, but it’s crucial to have players on those four-year cycles to improve the overall quality of the team and ensure depth. That’s not something you’ll find in Boulder, and it raises concerns about sustainability.
What concerns me the most about this team is that it doesn’t give off the impression of being a cohesive unit. Given the constant influx and outflow of transfers, along with the apparent neglect of recruiting by Colorado, this situation resembles a science fair volcano experiment where a slight mistake in the paper mache could result in a complete collapse. This seems like an experiment, but as the saying goes, “only time will reveal the truth.”
We appreciate the time you've taken to read our article and hope you'll stay tuned for future updates.
By subscribing, you'll be sure to receive notifications about new content, particularly if you found this piece enlightening.
Remember to connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram for the latest Sports Breaking News updates throughout the day.
