Deion Sanders on replacing Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter: 'We have a better team'

Deion Sanders might have lost his two best players from last season, but the Colorado coach believes he has a better overall team. Both quarterback Shedeur Sanders and receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter are on to the NFL, leaving behind a large chuck of production on both sides of the ball.

Deion Sanders didn’t deny that replacing the two stars will be challenging, likely taking multiple different players to make up for the losses. But at the same time, he believes this year’s Buffaloes squad is a lot more well-rounded.

“They were great players; we have a better team,” the coach said in an appearance on ESPN at 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.”

Hunter is coming off of winning the Heisman Trophy this past season as one of the few players in college football history to play both offense and defense. He led the team with 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns.

The do-it-all star also had 36 tackles, four interceptions, 11 passes defended and a forced fumbled on defense. He totaled 2,625 snaps in his two seasons in Boulder, leading the FBS.

Shedeur Sanders was equally impactful, leading the country with a 74% completion rate and leading the Big 12 with 4,134 yards passing and 37 touchdowns. The Buffaloes added Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and four-star freshman Julian Lewis in the QB room, with one expected to be Shedeur’s successor.

“It may take three players on offense to replace a Travis Hunter,” Deion Sanders said. “It may take two players to replace a Shedeur Sanders, and that’s what we brought here. We feel like we have a better defense for sure. A better offense, more understanding of the schemes collectively offensively and defensively because each coach, they’re in their second year in the schemes now.”

Colorado also brought in Tulsa transfer receiver Joseph Williams, who is coming off of a true freshman season in which he had 30 catches for 588 yards and five touchdowns. The Buffaloes also return Drelon Miller and Omarion Miller, who could take on bigger roles with the departure of Hunter.

Regardless, it’s still a pretty bold statement from Deion Sanders to say Colorado is a better team considering its success last year. We’ll have to wait and see how it plays out this season and whether they can top the 9-4 finish from 2024.