By Alec Nederveld
The most talked about coach in college football just wrapped up his first season in Boulder. Expectations were widely varied and dramatically changed after the first three games. Led by Prime’s “Louis Vuitton Luggage,” Colorado had the largest roster turnover ever. 51 players came in from the portal, and 57 others left, including many who transferred after Spring Camp. All things considered, how did Deion really do?
The Good
The Start of the Year
A 3-0 non-conference start to 2023, including two wins over power-five opponents, was a great way to start his tenure. Colorado got as high as 18 in the AP Poll, the highest ranking since 2016. At the time, there were serious questions on if team chemistry was there, and those were answered as yes.
Improved Record From Last Year
After going an embarrassing 1-11, Colorado showed progress going 4-8. No, that is not a good record. Yes, it is a noticeable improvement. Winning three more games, no matter how it’s done, is an improvement.
Play of his sons
In 11 games, Shedeur Sanders completed 69.3% of passes, 3,230 yards, and 27 touchdowns to three interceptions. He added four rushing touchdowns. Big brother Shilo Sanders had the most solo tackles and forced fumbles in the Pac-12 with 55 and 4, respectively. He also had a pick-six, three pass deflections, and a fumble recovery. The two were steady performers, and the team needed them.
Fan Interest
The hiring of Deion has been estimated to raise $280 million for the University of Colorado’s athletic department. Before his hiring, nobody outside of the Pac-12 cared about the football program, yet they received an unprecedented (and honestly unwarranted) level of hype.
Coach Prime’shiring also led to Colorado being the first target of Big 12 expansion. He has caused fans to show up, causing all Colorado tickets to be sold for the first time in Folsom Field history.
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The Bad
One-Possession Game Record
This one can go in the good, but the way the season ended made me put it in the bad. Colorado finished 3-5 in one-possession games and 1-5 against Pac-12 teams. I’ve always believed that one-possession results are because of the coach. A good coach can elevate a bad roster and have them compete against better teams. They can also win close games with comparable rosters.
Meanwhile, a bad coach will choke away winnable games with an equal or better roster. Scott Frost at Nebraska was the poster boy for that. I think it will take more time to decide how good Deion is, especially with a new roster, but this one-possession game needs work.
Deion’s Defense
The Hall of Fame cornerback’s defense held the team back and forced the offense to be nearly perfect. While they did force 20 turnovers (tied for 30th nationally), they were poor in other statistics.
Among Pac-12 teams, Colorado was bottom three in rushing yards, passing yards, and points allowed. The Pac-12 has always been an offensive conference, but this defense was bad.
Recruiting
I thought Deion’s strength would be recruiting. He brought four and five stars to FCS HBCU Jackson State, something that had never been done. Before taking over, Colorado classes ranged between the 30s and 60s. In his first season, the Buffaloes finished 29th, landing some big flips late in the cycle.
As of writing, Colorado’s 2024 class is ranked 65th with only nine commits. For comparison, Deion’s first class at Jackson State ranked 52nd.
Recently, three recruits have decommited from Colorado. 2024 three-star QB Danny O’Neil, 2025 four-star QB Antwann Hill Jr., and 2025 three-star RB Jamarice Wilder have announced they will reopen their recruitment. It appears Deion will heavily use the portal again, but the class is disappointing.
Conference Record
While Colorado finished with three more wins, their conference record was the same in 2022 and 2023. 1-8, placing the Buffaloes at the bottom of the Pac-12 for the second consecutive season.
The Ugly
Offensive Line
Colorado quarterbacks were sacked 56 times, the second most of any team. In addition, the Buffaloes only ran for 827 yards, the fewest in the country by over 100 yards. As bad as the defense was, the offensive line looked more like turnstiles. I legitimately think they would struggle if they were starting on an average MWC team.
Discipline
The Buffaloes were penalized the second most times for the fourth most yards in the country. It is hard to field a winning team when you hurt yourself 107 times and give away 854 yards in a season. In the collapse vs. Stanford, Sanders’ team was penalized 17 times for 127 yards.
Poor discipline always goes back to the coaching staff, and Deion, on multiple occasions, has encouraged fighting in practice. There’s a reason why most coaches don’t want their players to fight, and there’s a reason why Colorado was one of the most undisciplined teams.
Second Half Collapse
Colorado lost eight of their last nine games and six in a row. Yes, the schedule was difficult, but finishing the seasons poorly, especially after the start, is inexcusable. Stanford should have been a win, but it instead set the tone for the season. They were also in games against Arizona and UCLA but couldn’t close any of those three games.
Coaching Decisions
Deion Sanders made some inexcusable decisions. First, demoting OC Sean Lewis as play-caller. He is a brilliant offensive mind who kept Colorado in games. I understand the idea, as the offense did regress as the season moved on, but it’s more because teams learned how to stop Colorado. I’m not sure anybody could have made the offense as effective as Lewis did with the talent on the roster.
The decision to replace Lewis with then analyst Pat Shurmur demoted TE coach and important recruiter Tim Brewster. He has since resigned.
Against USC, Colorado came back from down 27 to down 14 and driving with just under six minutes left and no timeouts. Shedeur and co. eventually scored, but not after 4:15 came off the clock on the 10-play 78-yard drive. Four handoffs were called, killing time in the process. USC eventually recovered the onside kick. They kneeled to hold on to a 48-41 win.
After the loss to UCLA, Deion stated, “The big picture is you get new linemen”. Yes, the offensive line needs improvement, but are you saying your entire offensive line is so bad that they can’t be saved? Player development is a huge part of coaching, and Prime isn’t even thinking about it. Talented offensive linemen in the portal are hard to come by, and they are more likely to go to other schools.
Conclusion
It was his first year, and he did a lot of good but probably more bad for Colorado. The question that remains is, can he continue to improve the Buffaloes? Being in the Big XII will be easier than the Pac-12, and Deion needs to take advantage. Making a bowl game should be the expectation next year, and I think the Buffs will get there as Colorado’s offensive line and defense take a step forward.
