After a massive loss of production, how will Colorado fare in Deion’s third season?
When the announcement was posted several years ago that Georgia Tech would be opening up the 2025 season in Boulder, Colorado, it was immediately on my radar. Ever since then, Colorado has taken the college football world by storm. With Deion Sanders as head coach, Heisman trophy winner Travis Hunter, and top quarterback Shedeur Sanders, this team found itself in the national spotlight in 2024.
Deion Sanders remains at the helm, but he has a lot to prove this season without his top guys. Colorado lost key playmakers, including QB Shedeur Sanders and receivers Travis Hunter, LaJohntay Wester, Will Sheppard, and Jimmy Horn Jr. Altogether, these four combined for 3,261 yards and 32 touchdowns. Shedeur Sanders threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns, meaning that his core group of veteran receivers accounted for 78.9% of all receiving yards and 86.4% of all passing touchdowns last season. (For context, Colorado’s backup quarterback Ryan Staub had zero yards last season, which is why I am only counting Shedeur’s yards in the total.) That is a considerable loss for any team, no matter the depth coming up behind you. Colorado returns receivers Omarion and Drelon Miller, and they also got Hykeem Williams of Florida State and Jack Hestera of Utah State from the transfer portal. Both of these are solid pickups and should aid in the loss that the position group is taking.
Colorado’s offense thrived on explosive plays and highlight reels from last season. They were successful because they had the playmakers to do it. These playmakers are gone, so I will be intrigued to see how offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur intends to create a game plan that is a little more, well, creative. It was astonishing to me to see that the Buffs’ leading rusher from last season only had 384 yards and four touchdowns, so needless to say, the country will be watching to see if Shurmur attempts to incorporate the run game a little more.
Yes, I know there is another element to the run game, which is the offensive line. If they aren’t blocking or creating holes, it can be hard to make your way through as a running back. Colorado’s offensive line was abysmal last season, and things aren’t quite looking up just yet, but there is promise. Freshman All-American center Cash Cleveland transferred to Texas Tech, and they lost several others.. However, they bring in four guys from the portal and return left tackle Jordan Seaton, who was a beacon of light in the dark for them last season. I will say, Colorado has done the same thing the last two years of reloading from the portal in the trenches and has had little to no success. I think the offensive line is still a huge question mark for this team moving forward.
Now for the fun question… who the heck is gonna start at quarterback? Whoever makes this transition will have a huge hole to fill, as Shedeur Sanders had an exceptional college career and was, in fact, the coach’s son. The QB competition right now is between Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and five-star freshman Julian Lewis. Both have talent, and I cannot wait to see who makes the start against the Jackets in August. It will likely be Salter due to experience, but it would not surprise me if Deion wanted to experiment with the 17-year-old from Carrollton, Georgia. Salter threw for 5,887 yards and 56 touchdowns during his career at Liberty, which included a New Year’s Six Bowl berth against Oregon in 2023. With all of the attention that this program gets, having a veteran at QB to lead this team will benefit the Buffs.
In 2024, the defense was largely ignored aside from any play made by Shilo Sanders or Travis Hunter. The Buffs’ defense had a glow-up in 2024 after a disastrous 2023. Sanders took a risk and hired Rob Livingston as a first-time college coach, and he did well. Colorado was ninth in the country in second-half points allowed, which aided in several comeback wins from last season. Unfortunately, they lost their top tackler, Cam’Ron Simon Craig, as well as safety Shilo Sanders and cornerback Travis Hunter. Hunter led the defense with four interceptions and also had one forced fumble. It will be hard to replace the Heisman winner and top tackler, but the Buffs reloaded in the transfer portal with Terrance Love, Shaun Myers, Kylan Salter, Makari Vickers, and Jehiem Oatis. The defense did not take a production hit like the offense did, and I think Livingston and this unit will only go up from here.
Because this Colorado team has formed the brand of “recharge and reload,” it is tough to get a true read on them. It is obvious that losing almost their entire offense, a top-five QB, and a Heisman trophy winner will be difficult to replace, but I don’t think this team will be bad by any means. The biggest question mark most definitely lies in the trenches, where Colorado has greatly struggled on both sides of the ball. If the Buffalos can utilize their transfer class and get better on the line of scrimmage, then I think the program will continue to have success. If not, this could be a rough season. Regardless of how Colorado shows up, August 29th will be a thrilling non-conference game to open up the season.
Go Jackets!