Deion Sanders has never been coy about his approach to rebuilding the Colorado Buffaloes roster.
From the time he arrived in Boulder, “Coach Prime” made it clear that change was coming. In his first season alone, the Buffs underwent one of the most dramatic roster overhauls in college football history, using the transfer portal to rebuild their roster almost overnight.
Now entering his fourth season at the helm, Sanders believes Colorado has finally reached a point where every player in the locker room fits the vision he set out to create when he first arrived.
Coach Prime Believes The Pieces Are Finally In Place
Heading into 2026, “Coach Prime” seems to have regained full confidence in his roster. In a recent interview with the Associated Press‘ Pat Graham, Sanders made it clear this year’s roster was assembled with deliberate intent.
“I have everybody in that locker room because we said we want them,” Sanders said. “I sat there and watched tape on them and said, ‘That’s who I want, that’s what I want. Let’s go get them.'”
Last year, Sanders boldly claimed that his 2025 roster would be a better overall team despite losing a host of players to the NFL, including legendary quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy-winning two-way phenom Travis Hunter.
“They were great players; we have a better team,” Sanders said at last year’s Big 12 Media Days. “There’s a difference between great players and a great team. We have a better team, but we can never replace those type of players.” Sanders said at the time.
However, that confidence never translated into the season Sanders hoped for. The Buffs stumbled to a 3-9 record, prompting “Coach Prime” to take responsibility for Colorado’s shortcomings.
“This fanbase, this school, everybody deserves much better than this. They expected much better than this. I expected much better than this, and we’re going to give them much better than this––starting tomorrow.”
More than simply filling roster spots, Sanders now believes he’s put together a team that gives Colorado exactly what they need to compete in the Big 12 conference. With new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and defensive coordinator Chris Marve providing fresh perspectives on both sides of the ball, paired with a wave of new transfer talent, the Buffs enter the 2026 season looking completely different from a year ago.
Coach Prime’s Handpicked Players
Among the newcomers expected to revitalize Colorado’s offense are wide receivers DeAndre Moore Jr., Danny Scudero, and Kam Perry.
Moore arrives from Texas after recording 38 receptions for 532 yards and four touchdowns last season in the SEC. Scudero comes to Boulder after leading the nation in receiving yards at San Jose State, while Perry earned First-Team All-MAC honors at Miami (Ohio).
| Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
Together, the trio is expected to bolster an already talented receiver room while providing redshirt freshman quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis with a deep group of experienced targets.
Defensively, Colorado landed one of the transfer portal’s most intriguing defensive backs in former Tennessee standout Boo Carter.
The Buffs also added a pair of linebackers in former four-star recruit Liona Lefau of Texas and First-Team All-MAC linebacker Gideon Lampron from Bowling Green. Both players arrive with extensive experience and could quickly emerge as leaders within a rebuilt linebacking corps.
College Football Follows Coach Prime’s Lead
Few programs in college football have undergone more roster turnover than Colorado since Sanders’ arrival in Boulder. An approach that initially drew criticism when Colorado relied heavily on transfer portal additions to help accelerate their rebuild.
Now, “Coach Prime” believes the rest of the college football world has followed his lead.
“Now, everybody’s doing the same thing that I did,” Sanders said. “But it was crazy back then, right?”
Sanders’ comment highlights not only how quickly and dramatically college football has changed since he arrived in Boulder, but also how the Colorado coach helped normalize the use of the transfer portal to address roster needs.
What once made him look like a risk-taking outlier has become normal operating procedure for the top programs across college football. The difference, at least in “Coach Prime’s” mind, is that Colorado now has several years of experience navigating these waters.
Whether that preseason confidence is finally able to translate into wins remains to be seen; either way, Sanders is convinced he finally has a roster built entirely to his liking.
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