Deion Sanders sounded off on an awful season coming to a close Saturday afternoon after the Colorado Buffaloes finished his third season leading the program at 3-9, capped with a 24-14 loss at Kansas State.
He said he’s prepared to face criticism after the Buffaloes finished 1-8 in Big 12 play and fielded one of the worst defensive teams in college football this season.
“You don’t have to go easy on me. I’m a big boy. I’ve been doing this for a long time,” Sanders said. “I played this game, I know this game like the back of my hand. I love this game, I love football and all the ups and downs and ins and outs about it. I’m built for every last bit of it. But if anybody’s built to reconcile and to get this back on course, it’s me. And I will do it, if it’s the last thing I do on earth.”
Sanders said he will make significant staff and roster changes with the offseason now underway in Boulder. Big changes are coming to the athletic department, too, as longtime athletic director Rick George is stepping down in 2026.
Sanders signed a five-year, $54 million contract extension in March after the Buffaloes went 9-4 in 2024 and 7-2 in conference play. The deal made Sanders one of the highest-paid coaches in college football. But Colorado ended this season on a five-game losing streak, and for the second time in his three years in charge, finished with just one conference win. The Buffaloes did not win a single road game in 2025.
“This fan base, the school, Rick, everybody deserves much better than this,” Sanders said. “And they expected much better than this. I expected much better than this. And we’re going to give them much better than this starting tomorrow.”
Sanders was defiant when approached with questions about how Colorado’s defense held Kansas State’s rushing attack (206 yards) in check compared to the 472 yards the Wildcats ran for the previous week against Utah.
“There’s not a consolation prize,” he said. “They’re supposed to fight. They’re supposed to want it. They’re supposed to give their best.”
When asked how he expects to get Colorado out of its rut, Sanders was blunt: “It’s no rut. You’re just not good.”
The Buffaloes were not good in 2025. Their only wins were against a Delaware team that finished 6-6, a Wyoming team that is 4-7 and an Iowa State team that did finish 8-4. Colorado’s defense, which was abysmal under Sanders in 2023, ranked as a top-50 unit in 2024. But that side regressed significantly in 2025, allowing 425 yards per game.
Offensively, with Deion’s son Shedeur Sanders now in the NFL, the Buffs could not find stability at quarterback. Former Liberty star Kaidon Salter, who transferred to Colorado last offseason, was ineffective in an offensive scheme that saw former offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur quietly demoted late in the season.
Former five-star quarterback Julian Lewis was eventually named the starter in early November but sat out the regular-season finale to preserve his redshirt year.
Sanders entered the season after announcing he had recovered from bladder cancer during the offseason, then underwent treatment for blood clots during the season, but did not miss practice or games.
With changes forthcoming in Boulder, Sanders left his team — and its fan base — with a message ahead of the offseason.
“I just told them, ‘We won’t ever be in this situation again,’” Sanders said. “‘I promise you that.’”
