In 2022, the 1-11 Colorado Buffaloes under Karl Dorrell might have been the worst team in Division I football. Then, in 2023, out went Karl (sorry, Karl), and in came Neon Deion Sanders, bringing a whole train of talent with him from Jackson State. The two most important transfers that followed Coach Prime were his son and quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, and two-way marvel, Travis Hunter.
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The team improved in 2023—but that’s not saying much, considering where they were in 2022. They went 4-8, as a lack of size in the trenches foiled Sanders’ first season in Boulder. They addressed that in 2024, though. This time, they went 9-4, were ranked in the AP poll for the first time since 2016, and earned a bowl game invite for the first time since the same year.
A lot of that had to do with Shedeur, who was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, and Hunter, whose star turn as a CB/WR hybrid landed him the 2024 Heisman Trophy. Both are now gone and expected to be top 10 selections in the 2025 NFL Draft. One would think the Buffs might take a small step back in 2025 after losing so much. Deion Sanders says, no way Jose!
“We’re not gonna have better athletes, but we’re gonna have a better team. Because of the way we recruited, the way we built it, the way we sharpened out,” the Buffs head coach said on The Skip Bayless Show when asked about his outlook for 2025.
Among their 2024 starters, the Buffaloes are also losing defensive back Shilo Sanders, wideouts LaJohntay Wester and Jimmy Horn Jr., safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig, defensive tackle Chidozie Nwankwo, edge B.J. Green II, and more. That’s a lot to replace, but Coach Prime seems confident in his recruiting ability — and for good reason.
According to 247sports, Sanders and company have already enrolled 13 players for their 2025 recruiting class. They are also waiting on 17 transfers to come through the portal. Among the enrollees are six four-star recruits: QB Julian Lewis, WRs Adrian Wilson and Quanell X Farrakhan Jr., offensive linemen Chauncey Gooden and Carde Smith, and edge rusher London Merritt.
While players are the most important part of building a successful football team at any level, coaching is just as crucial in the college ranks. These coaches aren’t just developing players — they’re shaping young men. And in today’s game, earning the respect of elite young athletes is tougher than ever. Deion Sanders recognized that and hired accordingly.
“And then the staff is un-darn-believable. I mean, this staff is crazy. They’re so knowledgeable and so good. I just sit up there and watched coach Mathis and Marshall do their early morning word to the team the other day and it was just fascinating. I’m sitting there saying these kids are being coached by, darn near every position a pro. Every position, there’s a pro in the house.”
Sanders didn’t quite get into the nitty-gritty of which pros he’d hired for his 2025 Colorado Buffaloes coaching staff. He was not exaggerating, though. It’s an impressive lineup.
- To coach the running backs, he sought out former NFL Network co-worker and Pro Football Hall of Fame RB Marshall Faulk.
- Neon Deion gave Byron Leftwich, who played a decade in the NFL at QB and called the plays for the 2020 Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their offensive coordinator, another chance as his new OC. Leftwich had been strangely left flapping in the wind with no job for the last two seasons.
- Warren Sapp, another Hall of Famer whose 96.5 career sacks are tied for fifth all-time among DTs, will serve as pass rush coordinator.
- Domata Peko, a defensive tackle for 15 years in the NFL, will be the defensive line coach.
- Kevin Mathis, who racked up 11 interceptions (three of which he took to the house) in nine years playing for the Cowboys, Saints, and Falcons, has been tapped to be the cornerbacks coach.
- Five-time Pro Bowl center Andre Gurode has joined on as assistant offensive line coach.
The staff is rounded out by three-year NFL vet Jason Philips coming in as the WRs coach, and seven-year veteran George Hegamin coming on as Deion Sanders’ co-assistant coach. With the talent in that recruiting class as well as the coaching room, Sanders’ prediction could very well come to fruition in 2025.
