Deion Sanders on transfer portal departures: 'Don't just go, have a plan'

Colorado coach Deion Sanders has used the transfer portal to his advantage while in Boulder and hopes his former players do the same. The Buffaloes have seen 40 players enter the portal this offseason, more than any other Power Five program.

On the flip side, they’ve added 32 new faces to rank No. 2 overall according to On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings. Sanders believes the team is better for what they’ve gained and lost as a whole but also had a message for the players who decided to move on.

He advised them to “have a plan” for what they want to do and where they want to go prior to entering their name in the portal.

“I love what we’re building in this locker room and if you’re not a part of that thought process or that desire, you don’t fit,” Sanders said. “So now you see the gallop to the portal. Even with those guys, I wish them the best. I don’t want them to die along with the 3,500 young men (in the portal). I want you to have a plan when you go.

“Don’t just go, have a plan to enter — preferably a relationship that we can help you with so you can go to another school and have an opportunity to continue your dream. That’s my problem with people who jump in the portal. Just have a plan.”

So far 2,989 FBS college football players have entered the transfer portal this offseason. Only 48%, or exactly 1,431 players, have found new schools to this point. Although that number is likely to rise with several players having just recently entered, it goes to prove Sanders’ point.

On3 reported that only 63% of the players who entered the transfer portal in 2023 ended up committing to a new school. As we’ve seen this year already, some players enter the portal only to withdraw later or even end up transferring to other schools only to later return to their original team.

Colorado saw a whopping 55 players enter the transfer portal in Sanders’ first season at the helm, so it at least appears things are slowing down slightly as far as the number of players leaving. The Buffaloes are coming off of a 4-8 record this past year and preparing to enter the Big 12 in search of their first bowl appearance since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.