Deion Sanders is a fan of the transfer portal

First-year Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has already made plenty of changes within the program before even coaching a game for the Buffaloes. Sanders notably had over 50 players enter the transfer portal during the offseason following Colorado’s spring game, intentionally cleansing his roster to add new talent to his team in a rather unprecedented move in the college football landscape that not all agree with.

Sanders recently sat down with former Colorado quarterback and current college football analyst Joel Klatt, and Klatt asked Coach Prime if he would currently change anything about the transfer portal if he could.

“Yeah it’s some details about it I would probably change, but I like it, I like it,” Sanders repeated. “Now I’m built a little different, I’m old school. I was raised and taught we gon’ make it work, I’m not gon’ duck and dodge and leave if I can’t beat this guy out. I’m a beat him out eventually, we weren’t built like that.”

There’s no reason Sanders shouldn’t like the transfer portal, as he’s brought in 48 players to Colorado through the transfer portal this offseason and has the No. 3 ranked transfer portal class in the nation according to On3’s Transfer Portal Index.

Sanders may be bringing in more players through the transfer portal than any other team in the country as he attempts to rebuild the Buffaloes’ program with urgency, but he made it clear that he does his due diligence and homework when recruiting prospects out of the portal.

“Now, hey man if you’re dissatisfied just get in the portal, just go,” Sanders said. “Now we gotta do our homework to find out why you went, what was that detail, what was inside of you that provoked you to leave and is that still in you? Because if something doesn’t happen right are you going to leave again?”

There’s no doubt that student-athletes have more flexibility than ever regarding movement from one school to another through the transfer portal. That’s why Sanders is now making sure the players he does sign out of the portal align with his values and are in it for the long haul.

“We got to figure out the intellect part of that and understand smart, tough, fast, disciplined with character. We got to really hone down on that and ask you some real questions that may make you uncomfortable,” Sanders said.

“To see if the fits right?” Klatt asked.

“There you go,” Sanders replied.

Sanders’ transfer portal rebuild will get put to the test on September 2 when Colorado faces TCU in their season opener on the road at noon ET airing on FOX.