Colorado roster overhaul under Deion Sanders continues as nearly 20 players enter transfer portal after spring game

Deion Sanders wasn’t lying.

When “Coach Prime” showed up at Colorado back in December, he bluntly said a roster overhaul was coming. During his initial team meeting after arriving at CU from Jackson State, Sanders infamously told the room of players to “jump in that portal” because he was bringing some Louis Vuitton “luggage” with him to Boulder.

“The more of you jump in, the more room you make,” Sanders said.

Fast forward to the time of this writing and more than 40 players from last year’s Colorado team — which finished 1-11 — have entered the transfer portal. The second transfer portal window opened April 15, and nearly 30 Buffs have entered the portal in the time since. Of that group of transfers, 18 players opted to transfer since the conclusion of Saturday’s spring game at Folsom Field, which aired on ESPN and drew more than 47,000 fans despite the snowy conditions.

The spring game marked the conclusion of spring practice for CU. After the game, Sanders said the team on the field for Colorado’s Week 1 matchup versus TCU was going to look different than the one that participated in the spring game. A few days later, somewhere in the range of just 20 scholarship players from last year's Week 1 roster remain.

“We’re going to move on from some of the team members and we’re going to reload and get some kids who we really identify with. This process is going to be quick. It’s going to be fast, but we’re going to get it done,” Sanders said.

Deion Sanders continues to bring transfers to Colorado

Sanders and his staff have already brought in an array of transfers to the program, including his son Shedeur (the likely starter at quarterback) and former No. 1 recruit Travis Hunter from Jackson State. Many of those transfers have already made their way to CU and took part in spring practice. Other transfers and incoming freshmen will join in the summer. On top of that, there were quite a few transfer prospects visiting on Saturday, as well as recruits from the 2024 and 2025 classes.

Sanders said meetings with each player would take place and he and his staff would let the players know where they stood in their plans for the 2023 season and beyond. Sanders said the players who left before the spring game made the decision on their own. After the spring game, he said he would have “some decisions to make.”

“We got to make some decisions. That’s going to be on me. [Leaving before the spring game] was on them,” Sanders said. “Any time somebody quits a few days before the spring game, that should tell you a lot. God bless ‘em, though. I have no disdain. If they call me to speak on their behalf for another coach, I would do so. I’m not going to lie, but I would do so. We don’t look behind us. We’re looking ahead.”

It’s safe to assume that many of the players who put their name into the portal in the past 48 hours were part of that decision-making process. In turn, these moves will open the door for other transfers to join the program.

The spring portal window closes on April 30. Players who transfer after that window closes are not eligible to play next season.

Who is leaving the Colorado program?

Quite a few of the recent Colorado transfers had prominent roles with the team in recent seasons, including receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig. Lemonious-Craig led the team in receiving last season and was one of the stars of Saturday’s spring game as he posted 168 yards and two touchdowns on the day.

Lemonious-Craig has announced a slew of new offers on social media since he entered the portal, including from Auburn, Penn State and West Virginia.

Other notable transfers included running back Deion Smith, receiver Jordyn Tyson, safety Tyrin Taylor, linebacker Aubrey Smith, linebacker Devin Grant and cornerback Jordan Oliver.

As of Monday evening, Colorado has 16 scholarship spots open on its roster, according to the Boulder Daily Camera.