Deion Sanders identifies the biggest obstacle in Year 2 at Colorado

While Deion Sanders and Colorado had a hot start to the 2023-2024 campaign (3-0), they struggled mightily down the stretch, losing eight of their last nine games. Sanders and his coaching staff have raided the transfer portal in the offseason in the hopes of upgrading their offensive line, which was among one of the nation’s worst in every statistical category.

Sanders, speaking with On3’s Phillip Dukes of the Five-Star Flex, recently discussed the obstacles he’s faced heading into Year Two of his tenure.

“I haven’t faced obstacles,” Sanders said.

“It hasn’t been nothing that has eliminated us or prevented us from being who we want to be or go where we want to go. I think self is the biggest obstacle that our young men can have because they have the talent. They have ability. They have the knowledge. They have the foresight as well as the wisdom. They’ve just gotta put it to use. They’ve gotta want it. And they’ve gotta want to go get it,” the Buffaloes head coach continued.

“And when you really want to go get something, you have something in front of you that you want to apprehend. The enemy’s always going to put a stumbling block in front of you. It takes self to understand that’s what that is, I gotta get around to it. I gotta get through it. So, I can get to it,” Sanders finished.

Last season, Colorado ranked 132 out of 133 qualifying teams in sacks allowed. They surrendered 56 sacks in 12 games, something that the Buffaloes coaching staff tried to remedy this offseason with their new offensive line talent from both the portal and high school ranks.

Luckily for Colorado fans help is on the way in form of prized recruit Jordan Seaton. Seaton earned a lofty five-star-plus ranking in the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2024 cycle. He was only one of 18 prospects in the class to earn such an honor. Buffaloes’ fans are hoping the 6-5, 295-pounder from IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) can get up to speed in a hurry and make an instant impact.

The Buffaloes also went out and many other offensive linemen from the transfer portal. One of the biggest pieces they landed was Payton Kirkland, a 6-foot-5, 385-pound offensive tackle from the Texas Longhorns. And they landed another massive o-lineman in Clemson offensive tackle Zechariah Owens, who tips the scales at 6-foot-5, 385 pounds. Kahlil Benson is a transfer offensive tackle from the Indiana Hoosiers. He was seen firing up his teammates in summer workouts this offseason. And Tyler Johnson is a 6-5, 325-pound interior offensive lineman from the Houston Cougars.

There are several other offensive linemen the Buffaloes coaches reeled in, in their 2024 transfer portal class. They’ve certainly got plenty of size on the roster and now it’ll be up to the Colorado coaches to mix and match the different combinations to ensure there is proper fit and chemistry between the unit.

Colorado will kick off their 2024 schedule with the North Dakota State Bison. That one will take place on August 29th. Kickoff is slated for 8:00 PM EST.