Anonymous Big 12 coach: Colorado is 'still a circus' after Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter departures

Since head coach Deion Sanders landed at Colorado, few teams have garnered as much attention as the Buffaloes. Now, with stars Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter moving on and going to the NFL, it’s possible that waivers, though at least one Big 12 coach doesn’t expect much to change.

Several coaches spoke to Athlon ahead of the 2025 college football season anonymously. That included one who shared that he still thinks the program is going to be a circus.

“It’s still a circus,” an anonymous coach said. “That’s not an insult to Deion [Sanders], but it is.”

Through the first two seasons for Deion Sanders at Colorado, the Buffaloes went 13-12 while receiving plenty of media attention. That included a major step forward in 2024 as they transitioned into the Big 12, going 9-4. Now, however, with the turnover that the Buffaloes suffered, there are pretty major questions once again in Boulder.

“It will be interesting to see how Deion manages the culture here.” another Big 12 coach said. “This is a roster with big holes and a lot of questions.”

As has been the case every year for Sanders at Colorado, the Buffaloes have once again heavily leaned on the Transfer Portal this offseason. As a result, Colorado has the 23rd-ranked transfer class in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings. That includes 37 players transferring out and another 28 transferring in.

“They’ve turned over a ton in the portal,” a Big 12 coach said. “And they’re trying to make it out like it’s a competition-based result, but they’re really going to struggle on the offensive line because of transfers again.”

Among those coming in is presumed starting quarterback Kaidon Salter. A multi-year starter at Liberty, he is competing with incoming freshman Julian Lewis. He, along with a good wide receiver room, should make for a talented offense. On defense, Big 12 coaches do think there’s room for improvement from last season as well.

“[Travis] Hunter is so good, he overshadowed a really good position group in the secondary,” another coach said. “Right now, that is their strength. If they can rework the front, the defense might be better overall.”

At the end of last season, there were rumors about Deion Sanders’ future. That included possibly making the jump to the NFL. Now, he’s still in Colorado without his sons and Travis Hunter. So, it’s not a surprise that there’s still going to be plenty of attention on the program to figure out what the future might hold.