Current:Home > reviewsAre Deion Sanders, Colorado poised to make Big 12 title run? Let's see Saturday. -Summit Capital Strategies
Are Deion Sanders, Colorado poised to make Big 12 title run? Let's see Saturday.
View
Date:2025-04-18 13:58:01
Deion Sanders is back from his break and had an announcement to make Tuesday in Boulder.
“We are on our way to where we’re headed, and I love the direction,” the Colorado football coach said at his weekly news conference.
His Buffaloes are 4-1 coming off a bye weekend and will play their sixth consecutive nationally televised game to open the season Saturday at home against Kansas State on ESPN.
They are 2-0 in Big 12 Conference play with a Heisman Trophy candidate, Travis Hunter, playing on both sides of the ball.
They also have won three consecutive games with a team that returns only a few starters from last year’s squad – including just three on offense.
But now comes a different kind of test with their first ranked opponent of the season – the No. 19 Wildcats (4-1). A win could propel the Buffs into a stretch run for the conference title. A loss could bring back memories of last year, when the Buffs lost six in a row to finish the season with a 4-8 record.
Deion Sanders likened it to successful shopping
Sanders said Tuesday that this year’s team is not the same as that one, which underwent a massive roster overhaul after his hiring in December 2022, including a purge of previous players.
“Yeah, we had to get rid of some luggage because we had a limited time to go shopping − and I do mean shopping,” Sanders said Tuesday after spending part of his off week on his estate in Texas. “And it’s unfortunate. That’s what we do now in college football, even with guys out of high school. You're shopping, and you hope this outfit look good on you. But sometimes it don’t when it gets in the light. So it’s a good thing. We’re happy where we are, but we’re a long way from where we want to be.”
Sanders still flipped the roster again after last year, bringing in 39 new scholarship transfer players while at least 36 players left the team who still had college eligibility remaining. Of those 36 departures, 31 were recruits signed by Sanders since his arrival in December 2022.
“Everybody on the team I feel like has a pro mindset,” said Colorado running back Dallan Hayden, a transfer from Ohio State. “Everybody bashes us for bringing a bunch of (transfer) portal guys here, but you know we brought a bunch of portal guys that came from winning programs on this team, and I feel like all the guys are like bringing that winning mentality.”
Whether the results are much different than last year could hinge in part on Saturday, when one of those former players might play a big role. Running back Dylan Edwards transferred from Colorado to Kansas State after last season and is part of a rushing attack that ranks No. 7 nationally with 252.2 yards per game, including 40.2 yards per game from Edwards.
“I’m proud of him,” Sanders said of Edwards. “I just don’t want him to perform well against us.”
Safety Shilo Sanders returns
Sanders said his son Shilo, Colorado’s starting safety, will return Saturday after missing the last three games with a broken forearm. He is wearing a rubber cast after suffering the injury in Colorado’s only loss this season – Sept. 7 at Nebraska.
“We should have the entire starting defense this week,” Deion Sanders said.
Colorado’s defense this season has shown it knows how to clamp down under pressure. It ranks seventh nationally in red-zone defense with only 13 scores allowed in 21 opponent opportunities inside the red zone. Colorado also has allowed only seven points or fewer after halftime in four of its five games.
A 4-1 record “is great, but we can do better,” Colorado defensive lineman Chidozie Nwankwo said Tuesday. “We know we leave stuff on the table each and every game.”
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- EAGLEEYE COIN: Meta to spend 20% of next year on metaverse projects.
- Ariana Grande Addresses Media Attention Amid Ethan Slater Romance
- AT&T 'making it right' with $5 credit to customers after last week's hourslong outage
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Thousands stranded on Norwegian Dawn cruise ship hit by possible cholera outbreak
- Monica Lewinsky stars in fierce Reformation campaign to encourage voting: See the photos
- 3 dividend stocks that yield more than double the S&P 500
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- New York City medical school students to receive free tuition moving forward thanks to historic donation
Ranking
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Is Kathy Hilton the Real Reason for Kyle Richards & Dorit Kemsley's Falling Out? See the Costars Face Off
- Letter containing white powder sent to Donald Trump Jr.'s home
- Monty Williams rips officials after 'worst call of season' costs Detroit Pistons; ref admits fault
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Brawl involving Cam Newton another reminder that adults too often ruin youth sports
- Runaway train speeds 43 miles down tracks in India without a driver
- Louisiana murder suspect pepper sprays deputy, steals patrol car in brazen escape
Recommendation
Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
Kensington Palace Shares Update on Kate Middleton as Prince William Misses Public Appearance
Here's why the 'Mary Poppins' rating increased in UK over 'discriminatory language'
Man known as Dirty Harry arrested 2 years after family of 4 froze to death trying to enter U.S. from Canada
Small twin
US Army is slashing thousands of jobs in major revamp to prepare for future wars
After AT&T customers hit by widespread outage, carrier says service has been restored
Anne Hathaway Revives Her Devil Wears Prada Bangs With New Hair Transformation
Like
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- Pentagon review of Lloyd Austin's hospitalization finds no ill intent in not disclosing but says processes could be improved
- New York roofing contractor pleads guilty to OSHA violation involving worker's death in 2022