Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders beef, explained: Colorado stars start social media spat with Xavier Smith

Former Jackson State and current Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has had his fair share of representation in the headlines this week.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer, in his second season leading the Buffaloes, has been known for his extensive use of the NCAA's transfer portal since arriving in Boulder, Colorado completely rehauling the team's roster in both seasons with transfers.

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However, Sanders recently received pushback by former players from Colorado who shared their experiences with his methodology. The Athletic on Monday published a story documenting former players being suggested to leave the program via the transfer portal due to falling out of favor in the pecking order.

The story has become a talking point across college football, with Sanders posting multiple times Wednesday on X (formerly known as Twitter) in reference to Monday's news story.

Here's a rundown of everything Sanders has said, and why:

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Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders beef, explained

The Athletic on Monday released a story with interviews from former Colorado players who essentially were told to transfer by Deion Sanders.

The Colorado football coach didn't initially respond to the story publicly, and it appeared the talk that stemmed from the article was dying down until Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders — Deion Sanders' son — jumped in to defend him.

Shedeur Sanders reposted a graphic from The Athletic promoting Xavier Smith, a former Colorado player who was interviewed in the article. The Colorado quarterback responded to the post, writing, "Ion (sic) even remember him (to be honest). Bro had to be very mid at best."

Smith had one of the more compelling quotes of the article, saying, "He was destroying guys’ confidence and belief in themselves. The way he did it, it could’ve been done with a little more compassion."

Deion Sanders then jumped in for the first time on Tuesday, posting a slew of cryptic messages, including one that appeared to be pointed at former players' criticism:

On Wednesday, he posted again, seemingly accepting and embracing the discourse surrounding him and his team.

An unidentified X user then replied, "Tell yo (sic) son stop act like he the coldest out here then put up a 4-8 season." Deion replied that "He will be a top 5 pick. Where yo son going? Lololol I got time today."

Another wrinkle was added on Tuesday night when former Colorado defensive back Jaheim Ward replied to a since-deleted tweet by Colorado walk-on Kaleb Mathis, who originally posted a video of him beating Smith in practice.

"Bruh you had 38 yards last year stop trying to downplay somebody," Ward wrote.

Following that, "Dalvin truth" — an X account that makes Colorado football content — responded to Ward's message with a screenshot of Ward's stats at Austin Peay, where he transferred, and a message that read, "Man go take a seat."

What seems like a foolish social media response gained legs when Deion Sanders decided to retweet the thread, responding "Lawd Jesus" to the exchange.

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Who is Xavier Smith?

Smith was a former Colorado defensive back who told The Athletic he was suggested to leave the program through the transfer portal by Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders. He transferred to Austin Peay, where he earned FCS freshman All-America honors in 2023. He has since transferred to UTEP, where he will play in his sophomore season.

UTEP coach Scotty Walden responded to Deion and Shedeur Sanders ripping Smith, writing, "I coached Xavier at AP and now here at UTEP. He is the furthest thing from soft. He is a great kid/player and led us to a conference title. He answered a question honestly in an interview and was just telling his side. He was a freshman AA and has an extremely bright future."

“[Sanders] said he felt like I should hit the [transfer] portal," Smith told The Athletic. "He didn’t want me to waste a year thinking I could earn a spot,” Smith told The Athletic. “I was actually getting mad, like tears coming to my eyes. Because, bro, you never even tried to get to know me.”

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders beef: Colorado stars start social media spat with Xavier Smith