Deion Sanders: 'This was a season of hope' for Colorado

Colorado finished its season on a six-game losing streak. However, head coach Deion Sanders believes his team delivered hope to fans. During an appearance on the pregame show ahead of “Thursday Night Football,” Sanders reflected on the Buffaloes’ tumultuous 2023 campaign.

“This was a season of hope,” Sanders said. “We instilled hope not only in our fan base, but in college football alike. But, next year is a season of expectation. Right now, we are recruiting our butts off. I’m recruiting as I speak. The expectation is everything. We have players that can get it done. We have a tremendous coaching staff. Now, we just got to add a few more pieces to the puzzle.”

It’s worth noting Sanders grabbed 6-foot-7, 330-pound former NFL offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth as head finished his statement. Colorado could use a few similar players. The Buffaloes allowed 56 sacks this season, the second-most in the country.

Deion’s son, Shedeur, paid the price for the team’s lack of protection. Shedeur suffered a fractured back in Colorado’s Week 12 loss to Washington State. Deion Sanders doesn’t plan on watching his son suffer the same pain next season.

After all, Colorado showed spurts of greatness this season. The team electrified the college football world with a 3-0 start, including a season-opening triumph over reigning national runner-up TCU.

Colorado games hosted more stars than the Hollywood Walk of Fame, drawing appearances from celebrities such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Lil Wayne, Lebron James and Jay-Z. The program embraced the culture, selling shades and flashing expensive jewelry.

Of course, every uncommon decision led to unprecedented backlash. Nonetheless, the outside noise only added to hype when Colorado was winning. Unfortunately for the Buffaloes, four wins doesn’t provide plenty of fuel for victory laps.

Although the team didn’t reach the College Football Playoff or even a bowl game, its message was clear: Colorado can shake up the college football world. Of course, for a program to last, it has to have more than trendy celebrations and hot headlines.

Colorado needs wins. And to find wins, it needs players. Right now, Colorado isn’t off to a hot start achieving the latter. Colorado has only the No. 45 recruiting class in the 2024 cycle, according to On3 Industry Rankings.

The group includes just three four-star recruits and seven three-star prospects. Worse, the program has already lost multiple players to the transfer portal. Despite the setbacks, Sanders is convinced the future is bright in Boulder.