Deion Sanders Promises A Bowl Game For Colorado, While Shedeur Sanders Proclaims Negative Energy Is Gone

Deion Sanders proclaimed before the start of the Colorado spring game that the Buffaloes will make a bowl game in 2024, and to make good on that promise, they will certainly need to continue building their roster. 

In front of more than 15,000 rain-soaked fans on Saturday in Boulder, the Buffaloes took to the field in what was a shortened spring game, while most of the fireworks were found in the postgame news conference. Judging by the exodus of players we've seen once again from the Colorado football program, Deion Sanders still has some work to do when it comes to putting a better product on the field for fans. 

But, as we've all seen over the past 18 months at Colorado, this is all going according to Coach Prime's plan. Consider last year a test-run. This spring has continued to bring headlines on and off the field for the Buffaloes. While processing some players off the roster was always going to be the plan for Deion Sanders and his staff, he is once again using the portal as a quick-fix solution for the football team heading into the 2024 season. 

A vast majority of college football fans are looking at this Colorado team and wondering how it will play around Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. A lack of talent on the offensive line hindered the Buffs in 2023, and the solution to this problem was to bring in what Colorado considered better talent. Will this work next season? Your guess is as good as the ones who watched Sanders open the 2023 season with a few dramatic wins, which delighted college football networks across the country. 

And while the preseason hype will be centered around Travis Hunter, Sheduer Sanders and Jordan Seaton, there is still a long way to go before we will be able to judge how Deion Sanders has put together his roster. 

When it comes to the players who have left Colorado, quarterback Shedeur Sanders chalks it up to the team cleansing itself of negative energy. 

"I feel like we got all the negative energy out of the building, so now it's just a positive vibe now," Sanders said postgame. "It's no really complaining. We gotta go out there and play with a clear mind, when everybody's gonna want the ball and their part. At the end of the day, I don't care if I end up with 150 yards, I'm just trying to win this year."

Deion Sanders Keeps It Real With Recruits And Parents Regarding Future

The speculation surrounding Deion Sanders and his long-term plans of staying at Colorado have been a focal point since he took the job. Is this going to be a stepping-stone job for Sanders? That will obviously center around his winning percentage, and what he's trying to do inside the locker room. When you are a coach who isn't shy, and will speak the truth on just about anything, you're going to get an honest answer. 

So, when parents or recruits ask Deion about his plans for the future, even when his two kids, along with Travis Hunter, leave Colorado for the NFL, many want to know if that means Sanders will stick around Boulder to see the job through. 

"I tell them the truth. I'm a father, not a baby daddy. I don't follow my kids, I pave roads for my kids," Sanders said following the spring game. "I build generational wealth for my kids, I lead my kids. I don't follow my kids. I'm not that kind of father. I have work to do here. I absolutely love it here, I really do.

"I never thought a young brother from the south would love this part of the country, but I really do. I'd love to be more adventurous and see other things. I don't really fly-fish, but I've been known to be fly when I fish. I love everything about this part of the country and the fan base we have here. I just want to bless you with a tremendously successful team."

BOULDER, Co. - Quarterback Shedeur Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes throws during their spring game at Folsom Field on April 27.  (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

If there's one thing that Deion Sanders doesn't lack, it's charisma. While he continues to try to prove the doubters wrong with his way of building a roster, while handling all the outside noise, Sanders is steadfast in his message. He might not be the guy to lead Colorado to a Big 12 title, and he might not be in Boulder in five years, but what he is doing right now is helping to rebuild the Buffaloes' image. 

The truth is that the headlines will follow Deion Sanders no matter where or what he's doing in life. That's his persona, which he truly believes, and the administration at Colorado can only hope this freight train continues to stay on the current path. 

There is a lot we're going to find out about Sanders and Colorado in just about four months from now. Can this squad make good on Deion Sanders' vow to make a bowl game? Yes, that is certainly on the table for 2024. 

But there's a lot more than a bowl game at stake for the 2024 season, and Deion Sanders knows it.