Colorado does not need another season decided by the small stuff. After going 3-9 in 2025, the Buffs are already being written off by plenty of people. USA TODAY Sports even has them finishing 3-9 again in 2026. Deion Sanders clearly has no interest in hearing any of it. His concern right now is much more basic.
Colorado can’t keep making avoidable mistakes and expect to survive once the games count. So before practice, Deion Sanders pushed his players to stop saving their best effort for some imaginary later date.
“Some of you guys are trying to hold it in,” he told them via Thee Pregame Network, before asking, “What you saving for? Because you got to get your week right… We got a week and we out.”
The message was about depth as much as effort. Deion Sanders pointed out that Big 12 games can mean roughly 80 defensive snaps and 65-72 offensive plays. A player may get only a handful of opportunities at a time, but those snaps still matter. That is why he wants his second-string players, or his “extra roles” as he called them, pushing the starters instead of simply waiting for their turn.
“Extra roles are very vital,” he said. “You’re vital to our success because we need you and we don’t need a drop off. We need to bump up. We need you to challenge those guys so you get your butt on the field.”
After that talk, Colorado went out to play. That’s where Deion Sanders got to the part that really seemed to bother him. The Buffs had already made two mistakes in practice that the head coach believed could have swung a game.
“We got two guys forgetting to go on the darn punt return,” he said. “How is that possible? How is that possible? It’s not. And that cost us. That’s going to cost us. No more mistakes.”
It is a fair question, particularly considering what happened to Colorado’s punt return unit last season. The Buffs managed only 79 yards on 11 punt returns in 2025 without a single touchdown. The TCU loss showed the problem. They need to clean it up, and Deion Sanders is trying different returners in camp.
Boo Carter stands out. The Tennessee transfer averaged 16.5 yards per punt return in 2024 and 13.2 last year. Then there’s DeKalon Taylor and Ernest Campbell, both experienced contributors. But this is bigger than finding someone who can catch a punt. Deion Sanders is trying to get Colorado out of the habit of handing opponents free opportunities. That applies to Atlanta, too.
The Buffs open the season against Georgia Tech next Thursday, and Deion Sanders has already warned his players about letting the occasion turn into a sideshow. Colorado lost 27-20 to the Yellow Jackets last season. This time, the game is in Atlanta, and he insists he is not getting distracted by his history there.
“We’re going there with one purpose, and that’s to win,” he said.
That may be the simplest description of Colorado’s challenge. The Buffs need to stop handing away pieces of games. For a team trying to climb out of a 3-9 hole, that could be the whole season.
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The post “How’s That Possible?”: Deion Sanders Shares Major Concern as CU Buffs Still Making Mistakes That Could Cost Them a Game appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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