When Deion Sanders took the Colorado job, the Buffaloes were in such dire straits that they were hardly competitive in some games in coach Karl Dorrell’s last season.

Colorado was 1-11 in 2022. The Buffaloes lost by 25 to TCU, by 31 to Air Force, by 42 to Minnesota, by 28 to UCLA, by 23 to Arizona, beat Cal in overtime, lost by 33 to Oregon State, by eight to Arizona State, by 39 to Oregon, by 38 to USC, by 47 to Washington and by 42 to Utah.

It was ugly. It was depressing watching that team because they were so outgunned. Dorrell was basically stealing money.

Sanders came to Boulder with a ton of bravado and confidence and in the first team meeting basically told the team to pack their bags and head to the portal. That’s when he used the famous Louis Vuitton line. It was probably not appropriate but also probably necessary.

Coach Prime went to the portal in Year 1 and basically restructured the entire roster. He had to. If Sanders, who still hasn’t gone on one recruiting visit, relied only on high school player development, God knows how long it would have taken to turn the Colorado program into a contender.

It might have never happened because Colorado wouldn’t have been able to get that many players in over the years.

The transfer portal was used a second time to rebuild an awful offensive line in 2023 and to add more key pieces.

Sanders has supplemented heavy doses of the transfer portal with splashy high school wins like getting five-star Jordan Seaton last recruiting cycle. That was a major coup for the Buffaloes but maybe even more important is that Seaton has thrived in Boulder and has already backed up his elite ranking.

Travis Hunter flipped from Florida State to Jackson State to play for Sanders and then followed him to Colorado. The five-star phenom was not wasted. Instead, he’s been utilized both ways and is now the frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy.

In high school, Shedeur Sanders was considered a project who probably would have gone to Florida Atlantic if not to play for his father at Jackson State. He’s blossomed into a first-round NFL Draft pick.

Colorado went 4-8 in Sanders’ first season, by no means anything to write home about but certainly better than the year before and there were five one-score losses.

The Buffaloes are now sitting at 8-2 (one of those losses was a three-point decision to Kansas State), the environment in Boulder is incredible and a host of elite prospects in the 2025 class could now be heading to Boulder.

Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis decommitted from USC over the weekend and now Colorado is considered the leader. He and his family love what Sanders has brought to Boulder, he loves offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s NFL bona fides and taking over for Shedeur Sanders is sure appealing.

Colorado has also seriously entered the picture for five-star linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng after a weekend visit. Michigan still has a grip on his recruitment but the Buffaloes definitely interest him.

New five-star offensive tackle Michael Carroll, who remains committed to Alabama, was at Colorado over the weekend and loved it. Four-star Ohio State defensive end London Merritt also visited Boulder and was blown away by the experience.

“This time I was there during the week so I got a chance to see the preparation and hard work they put in to get ready for the games,” Merritt said. “Also, I saw that their schedule is almost exactly like IMG’s schedule and the transition would be easy.

“This time they put an emphasis on how they would utilize my versatility. I had a great time, really enjoyed it.”

With success at Colorado, Sanders’ name will be floated for open head coaching jobs in bigger football markets whether in the college ranks or potentially the NFL.

Sanders has earned all the praise and accolades he’s getting. His team could win double-digit games for one of the only times in the last few decades. The Buffaloes could play for – and win – the Big 12 championship.

And recruits are watching. We Coming has been the team motto since Sanders got to Boulder.

The Buffaloes are here.

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