Deion Sanders Opens Colorado Buffaloes Fall Camp With Challenge to His Team

It’s finally here. The Colorado Buffaloes football season has officially started. While the Buffs aren’t in Boulder just yet, opening up fall camp at UCCS in Colorado Springs, the excitement surrounding Deion Sanders’ Buffs continues to build along the Flatirons.

Colorado Buffaloes’ Fresh Start

After last season’s disappointing 3-9 finish, “Coach Prime” kicked off camp by making it clear to his team that they aren’t dwelling on the past.

“It’s Day 1, fellas, set the tone that you want to establish for yourself. Day 1 is going to be just like Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, so you set the tone, you set the standard for you,” Sanders said, addressing his team before Colorado’s opening practice of fall camp on Monday.

“There’s some things in life that you’re not proud of, you want a do-over, and you got it, you’ve got the opportunity, it’s a restart, this is the beginning, this is the genesis of everything,” he added.

Sanders’ message to his team was a challenge to embrace the fresh start and set the tone for the season ahead. For a team eager to get rid of the bad taste last season left behind, Day 1 represents exactly what Sanders described: a fresh start.

Reason for Optimism

While it’s only the first day of fall camp, the optimism surrounding the Buffs is getting harder to ignore.

Even though Colorado lost key contributors like leading receiver Omarion Miller, former five-star left tackle Jordan Seaton, and the Buffs’ leading tackler Tawfiq Byard over the offseason, many believe CU’s new roster is deeper, more experienced, and better equipped to compete in the Big 12.

A lot of that optimism centers around quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis, who enters his second season in Boulder, this time with more experience and surrounded by one of the conference’s deepest receiving corps. He’ll also be working alongside new quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, whose Go-Go offense is perfectly designed to help maximize the talents of players like Danny Scudero, Kam Perry, DeAndre Moore Jr. and Ernest Campbell.

There are also plenty of reasons for optimism on the defensive side of the ball. While new defensive coordinator Chris Marve inherits a defense built largely through the transfer portal, many of those additions arrive in Boulder with proven Power Four production. Sanders has already singled out Tennessee transfer Boo Carter as one of the early standouts to look for during fall camp, even going so far as to project the versatile defensive back as a future first-round NFL Draft pick.

“That kid right there is going to be a first-rounder either this year or next year,” Sanders told Phillip Dukes of Dukes the Scoop Podcast.

If Lewis and Colorado’s offseason additions develop as expected, the Buffaloes could emerge as one of the Big 12’s biggest sleeper teams and a legitimate dark horse to compete for a conference championship.

Eyes on Georgia Tech

Before the Buffs can start thinking about conference championships, they’ll first need to find their identity as a team. With the Sept. 3 season opener against Georgia Tech fast approaching, Colorado will need to come together quickly if they hope to avenge last year’s season-opening loss at Folsom Field.

Although it’s a rematch just one year later, both teams will look much different than they did in last season’s opener.

Georgia Tech no longer has quarterback Haynes King, who gashed Colorado for 156 rushing yards and three touchdowns, leading the Yellow Jackets to a 27-20 victory over the Buffs.

Instead, they will turn to Indiana transfer Alberto Mendoza, who spent last season backing up his older brother, Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, during Indiana’s national championship run. While Mendoza is a different style of quarterback than King, his mobility could still present a challenge for Coach Marve’s rebuilt defense.

Still, between now and Sept. 3, Colorado’s biggest priority will be establishing chemistry, toughness, and the consistency Sanders demanded from Day 1 of fall camp. If the Buffs can accomplish that, they believe they have the talent to reemerge as a legitimate Big 12 contender and finally put last season’s disappointment behind them.

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