Shedeur Sanders claps back at Colorado transfer that asked for compassion from Deion Sanders

Shedeur Sanders clapped back at Colorado transfer Xavier Smith amid an in-depth story from The Athletic, detailing many players who’ve departed the program via the transfer portal.

Smith claimed head coach Deion Sanders could’ve used more compassion when making roster changes. Whether that’d be outright cutting players or encouraging them to enter the transfer portal, Smith felt he didn’t get his fair shot.

Upon seeing quotes on a graphic from The Athletic on social media, Shedeur Sanders responded.

“(I don’t) even remember him (to be honest),” Sanders wrote on Twitter. “Bro had to be very mid at best.”

Smith started his career at Colorado 2022, prior to Deion Sanders’ arrival. He played in one game that year due to injury.

The conversation the following spring was allegedly not pleasant for Smith.

“We sat on the sofa, and he’s talking to us, but he’s not even looking at us,” Smith said, via The Athletic. “I’m looking Coach Kelly dead in his eyes. (Sanders) said he felt like I should hit the portal. He didn’t want me to waste a year thinking I could earn a spot. I was actually getting mad, like tears coming to my eyes. Because, bro, you never even tried to get to know me.

“He was destroying guys’ confidence and belief in themselves. The way he did it, it could’ve been done with a little more compassion.”

Smith found himself at the FCS level at Austin Peay last year. He played right away and earned a spot on the Freshman All-American team.

He followed coach Scottie Walden to UTEP via the transfer portal. Naturally, Shedeur Sanders sided with his father in this alleged feud.

By the end of Spring of 2023, 53 scholarship players transferred out of the program ahead of Deion Sanders’ first season as head coach. Not one member of the 31-player Class of 2022 remained at Colorado.

Deion Sanders and the Colorado transfer portal saga

For more context on Smith’s feelings, the portal hasn’t stopped in Boulder. Deion Sanders welcomed in a bevy of new players following the 2023 season and saw more leave.

The Buffaloes have seen 40 players enter the portal this offseason, more than any other Power Five program.

On the flip side, they’ve added 32 new faces to rank No. 2 overall according to On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings. Sanders believes the team is better for what they’ve gained and lost as a whole but also had a message for the players who decided to move on.

Sanders had enough of the narrative his team lost quite a bit.

“I wish you guys do a little more homework when you start talking about the portal and understand what we losing, What are we losing? I got time today,” Sanders quipped. “What are we losing? Potential? Where? You haven’t been watching practice have you? We good. We’re good.”

Sanders has plenty of faith in his staff, recruiting department and players to make the right decisions and make the right moves.

“I trust the recruiting team,” Sanders said. “I trust that coaches and please have some faith in me. We aight. We alright. What happens with the portal man, and you guys need to know, a lot of people are fighting for backups. When a guy is a starter and he transfers you got to really think about that. I mean, is he really that? I don’t know how many starters have really transferred around the country.”