Colorado football recently extended head coach Deion Sanders’ contract through the 2029 season, signing Coach Prime to a five-year, $54 million deal.
With the two-time Super Bowl champion locked in for the long haul, the Buffaloes will hope to continue the early legacy Sanders has built during his first two seasons in Boulder. Since the Buffs went 1-11 the season before he arrived, Sanders has completely revived the program.
The departures of Shedeur Sanders – Deion’s son – and Travis Hunter could leave the Buffaloes struggling early next season. However, they already signed Liberty transfer quarterback Kaidon Salter and some defensive linemen to beef up the roster heading into the 2025 campaign.
The Athletic’s Antonio Morales recently posed the question of whether Prime Time and the Buffs can make up for the absence of Hunter and Shedeur through the upcoming transfer portal window.
“On the field, nearly everything the Buffaloes did the past two seasons revolved around Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders,” Morales wrote. “Without those two stars, can Deion Sanders build a more balanced roster? The transfer portal has been Sanders’ main source for talent acquisition. The Buffaloes weren’t as active in the winter window as they were the past years, but they added some more beef to the defensive line with Gavriel Lightfoot (Fresno State) and Jehiem Oatis (Alabama) and signed a talented quarterback in Kaidon Salter from Liberty.”
As other Big 12 teams beef up their rosters with transfers, Sanders may need to consider an aggressive approach come April 16. Morales floated some offensive depth options a team like Colorado could consider.
“The recruiting class featured some promising young pieces like top-50 quarterback Julian Lewis and four-star offensive lineman Carde Smith. It will be interesting to see how active Sanders will be in the spring.”