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After a stellar season that saw them in the hunt for the Big 12 Championship, Deion Sanders believes that his Colorado Buffaloes have made a huge leap as they enter Spring football season. The Buffaloes are set to lose several key pieces of their roster from the past two seasons, including NFL prospects Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. But, Sanders believes that he's made adept additions to the roster and coaching staff that will continue to pay off in a big way come the Fall.
“I feel like we will have a better team, I really do,” Sanders said in comments secured by Ralphie Report's Ryland Scholes. “[Last year] we had a few phenomenal players who you'll see get drafted. As a team, we're better on both lines and we'll be better in the backfield with the addition of Marshall Faulk.”
Faulk is an outstanding addition to the team, joining Colorado as both a coach and mentor. A former NFL veteran and college football star, Faulk brings a wealth of experience to the locker room. While he has never coached at the college level, he previously worked as an analyst for NFL Network alongside Deion Sanders.
In an interview with Front Office Sports in February, Faulk downplayed the concept of traditional coaching but shared his enthusiasm for helping young athletes grow and develop.
“Coaching, in a sense, nah, but helping these kids develop and get to the next level,” Faulk said. “We’re good friends, and whatever I can do to help [Sanders] out, I’m gonna do.”
Just as noteworthy as the addition of Faulk is Sanders touting that the team will be better on both the offensive and defensive line, an area of play that haunted Colorado the past two seasons. Against veteran offensive lines, the Buffaloes struggle to get pressure on the quarterback. On the offensive side of the ball, Sheduer Sanders dealt with heavy pressure from opposing defenses and was even sacked six times in the team's early September matchup versus Nebraska. He took 42 sacks on the season, an improvement from 52 sacks in 2023 but still a troubling statistic.
If Colorado can keep up their level of offensive productivity and improve up front on both offense and defense, it'll be hard to count them out as contenders in the Big 12 next season.