With a 24-14 loss to the Kansas State Wildcats, the Colorado Buffaloes have ended their 2025 campaign with a 5-game losing streak and an overall record of 3-9. This all but reiterates a sharp downturn in production for the Big 12 program. Things were headed this way since Deion Sanders was struggling to replace his star QB1 and WR1 from just a year back, who were named as the 2024 Golden Arm and 2024 Heisman trophy winners.
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Given the amount of struggles that Sanders faced while recruiting this past offseason, this isn’t surprising. But it’s still frustrating, and now, the team’s insider, Locked On Buffs’ Kevin Borba, is imploring the NFL Hall of Famer to make the necessary changes.
“This team has underwhelmed for the last half of the season. They beat Iowa State, who was ranked at the time, went on a bye week, and then just fell apart… Coach Prime has to make some changes to his coaching staff… Changes need to be made, and Coach Prime says he’s the guy to make them,” said Borba, who also mentioned that those changes could already be well underway.
According to the insider, the most meaningful one involves the offense. “There’s been some rumors out there that he’s already been interviewing offensive coordinators as of today,” noted Borba.
Colorado offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur was stripped of his play-calling duties earlier this month. Wide receivers coach Brett Bartolone then took over play-calling responsibilities.
On the roster front, Colorado will say goodbye to Kaidon Salter, who managed to produce just 1,242 passing yards and 10 touchdowns in the eight games he played this season. Conveniently enough, the Buffs were able to secure a five-star recruit in Julian Lewis. So they already have their QB situation figured out for 2026.
That’s one thing that they have going for them as they head into this period of reconfiguration. But as Borba suggested, there’s still plenty of other changes that need to take place. The 58-year-old Sanders, despite his health struggles, appears to be up for the challenge.
Following the loss to Kansas State, Coach Prime suggested that he knows the game of football “like the back of his hand” and that he would redeem Colorado even if it’s “the last thing that he does on Earth.”
Sanders’ willingness and commitment are there, as always. However, those words won’t mean much unless he can deliver on the expectations that he’s created for himself.
Then again, seeing as this is the same coach who transformed the Buffs from an afterthought into a national spectacle, perhaps fans should be willing to trust Sanders and his instincts over the next several months.
