Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are off to the NFL — something Colorado head coach Deion Sanders may still be processing.
Hunter, along with Shedeur and Shilo Sanders, were essential to Colorado’s rapid rebuild under Coach Prime. In two seasons, Deion Sanders has posted a 13-12 record, helping the Buffaloes secure their first winning season in eight years in 2024.
Now, the biggest question heading into 2025 is what Colorado looks like without its two biggest stars and the coach’s sons. CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson considers it one of the top storylines of the upcoming season.
“Two straight years of the Deion Sanders Colorado football experience have brought unprecedented attention to the Buffs and levels of real success not foreseen for a program that was 1-11 as recently as 2022,” Patterson wrote. “Travis Hunter’s run to a Heisman Trophy, Colorado finishing in a four-way tie for first place in the Big 12 standings and much more of 2024’s breakthrough normalized having one of football’s biggest stars wearing the headset on the sideline at the power conference level."
He continued: "The individual successes of Hunter and Shedeur Sanders drew some of the attention away from Coach Prime, and our discussions pivoted to football instead of focusing on what had been viewed as unorthodox methods of flipping the roster through the transfer portal."
With Hunter and both Sanders sons now gone, the spotlight will once again fully center on Deion. The Hall of Famer and media magnet has already announced a Netflix documentary set to debut in 2026 — a reminder that Prime is still very much the main attraction in Boulder.
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The pressure now shifts to finding replacements for his former superstars, starting with the most important position on the field: quarterback.
Shedeur’s successor will likely be either Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter or true freshman Julian Lewis. According to Sports Illustrated, Salter appears to have the edge coming out of spring.
“They're getting better and better,” Sanders said of the quarterback room. “They're starting to understand the system.”
Still, expectations have changed.
“Now, Colorado is judged by results, like everyone else,” Patterson added. “But without a Travis Hunter Heisman push or Shedeur Sanders NFL Draft storylines, the attention will fall back to the superstar head coach.”