Colorado AD Rick George defends Deion Sanders amid major roster turnover

When Deion Sanders took the head coaching job at Colorado, he made his intentions clear when it came to revamping the roster. His meeting with the Buffaloes went viral.

“We’ve got a few positions already taken care of because I’m bringing my luggage with me. And it’s Louis,” Sanders told the players in December. “I’m coming.”

He has certainly arrived. Colorado has seen major turnover since as 56 players entering the transfer portal and leaving the program after last year’s 1-11 campaign. The amount of players leaving has garnered plenty of attention across the college football world, but Sanders’ boss — Buffaloes athletic director Rick George — is rising to his defense.

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“We are not the first to do this,” George told Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger. “Eighteen months ago, there was a lot of criticism in our program because guys were leaving. Around 24 to 25 left in December [2021] right after the season. Similar things have happened at other schools. We are not unique in this.

“We know that in a coach’s first year, you have a head coach exemption, which is part of NCAA rules. Having conversations with student-athletes after spring ball … ‘Hey, this may not work out. You may not get the playing time you want. We’ll help you go somewhere else.’ That’s what those discussions were about. After everybody’s season, coaches and student-athletes are having those conversations. Yeah, it’s a lot, but we are focused on getting better.”

Colorado isn’t the first program to see significant turnover after a coaching change. Last year, 25 players left USC as the Trojans brought in 19 players — including Caleb Williams and Jordan Addison, who were the top two transfers in the 2022 On3 Transfer Portal Rankings — as Lincoln Riley took over. This offseason, Arizona State saw 30 players enter the portal once Kenny Dillingham took over for Herm Edwards.

But George pointed to Sanders’ honesty about using the portal, between his comments about bringing “luggage” and recent reporting about conversations with players who left the program. He said other coaches aren’t sharing as much about the process as Sanders is, and he’s simply following through on his promises.

“He’s more open and honest about it. I think that’s a good thing,” George said. “I don’t have a problem with that. At the end of the day, he’s doing what he said he would do.”

To offset the players leaving, though, Sanders has brought in 36 players from the portal this cycle, giving Colorado the No. 1-ranked transfer class this cycle, according to the On3 Team Transfer Portal Rankings. Among the group coming in is former Five Star Plus+ recruit Travis Hunter, who was one of eight players to follow Sanders to Colorado from Jackson State.