Colorado had a rough 2025 season, finishing 3-9 with just one Big 12 win and losses piling up against Houston, TCU, and others. The heat is firmly on Deion Sanders to turn things around, and with nearly 50 new faces joining a revamped roster this spring, Coach Prime has already found a way to raise the stakes before a single whistle has blown.
**Deion Sanders Turns Buffaloes’ Spring Practice Into an NFL-Style Showdown**
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On February 20, 2026, Sanders introduced an NFL-style draft at spring camp, splitting the squad into two competing intrasquad teams. Rather than the traditional offense-versus-defense format, three player captains per team selected players by position group.
The black team claimed starting RB Richard Young and WR Kam Perry, while RB Damian Henderson II and WR Danny Scudero went to the gold side.
The event carried genuine drama, complete with the ESPN draft chime and several surprise picks that turned heads inside the facility.
Freshman dual-threat quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne, expected to back up Lewis this season, went first overall to the black team, while presumed starter Julian Lewis was selected second overall by the opposing gold side. Sanders wasted no time setting the tone.
“A lot of the guys you picked, it ain’t got nothing to do with us. That’s on you all,” he [said](https://youtu.be/19BoZHj45fc?si=O4ihbt74sd1zPiqL). “Y’all picked them and y’all are teammates. Don’t blame your coach, don’t blame nothing else but yourselves. Winning is the bottom line, so you gotta kick their butts and they kick your butts,” he told the group directly.”
From there, practices will run as full competitive team battles, with every rep carrying real weight. Sanders made his expectations plain.
“Some days we’re gonna have an all-competition day. You’re gonna go out there in the color of your team. That’s how we’re gonna get down. From 1-on-1 to inside run, we’re keeping score, we’re keeping count of everything,” Sanders explained.
The move came directly after the NCAA rejected joint practices with Syracuse for the second straight year. Rather than accept the setback, Sanders turned inward, leaning on new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and his fast-paced Go-Go offense to drive competition across a roster still finding its identity.
After the draft wrapped, Sanders left no doubt about how he felt. “I love this. I love every last bit of it. And I can’t wait to see us compete,” Sanders said.
Spring sessions kick off March 2 and run five weeks across 15 scheduled practices.
With internal competition already running hot, attention shifts to what the 2026 calendar holds and whether this early energy can carry Colorado into the regular season with genuine momentum.
Colorado currently sits in full rebuild mode. The spring calendar closes on April 11 at Folsom Field with Black and Gold Day, giving fans their first real public look at the new-look Buffaloes before the season begins.
The 2026 schedule is one of Colorado’s toughest openers in years, with three of the first four games on the road before Big 12 home matchups begin in October. It all starts September 3 at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta against Georgia Tech, a team that defeated the Buffaloes 27-20 in Boulder to open the 2025 season. Sanders will be looking for a statement win on the road to signal that the rebuild is real.
Colorado faces a defining spring. The Buffaloes close it out April 11 at Folsom Field against Syracuse before a challenging road-heavy schedule begins September 3 at Georgia Tech, where Colorado will look to avenge last season’s opening-day home loss.