Deion Sanders Says He Flipped Colorado Roster Because Some Guys 'Didn't Love Football'

After taking over as Colorado's head football coach, Deion Sanders completely overhauled the program.

So much so that the team now looks nothing like it did just a year ago. In fact, Colorado returns just 10 scholarship players from 2022 with 68 new scholarship players on the roster.

On Friday, Coach Prime explained why it was difficult to implement his program with the roster he inherited. He simply didn't see any passion.

"It was tremendously tough because you had some young men that just didn't want to play the game," Sanders said. "They didn't love football. It's hard for me to be effective if you don't love it, if you don't like it, if you don't want to live it. That's tough."

Deion Sanders took over as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes in December. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

The NCAA allows first-year head coaches to cut players from their roster so long as the university honors the players' scholarships. And following Colorado's Spring Game, Sanders took advantage of that rule.

"That's tremendously tough when you're looking at a body of just dead eyes. That's tough on any coach, not just me," Sanders said. "I'm pretty sure a multitude of coaches have experienced that until they could clean house and get the roster they want. It was tremendously challenging day by day. I'm happy with what I see every morning now. I really am."

Part of the rebuilding process happened organically. A record number of players entered the transfer portal and left the Buffaloes program, which allowed Sanders and his staff to bring in their own guys.

Part of the rebuilding process happened by force. Sanders made it abundantly clear that nothing was going to be given and presumably processed out (at least) a few players to get things how he wants them.

Still, many other coaches weren't thrilled about his methods.

Deion Sanders Takes Heat For Roster Overhaul

In May, Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi said Sanders' actions reflected poorly on the entire sport.

"That's not the way it's meant to be," Pat Narduzzi told Brandon Marcello at ACC meetings. "That's not what the (transfer portal) rule intended to be. It was not to overhaul your roster. We'll see how it works out but that, to me, looks bad on college football coaches across the country.

"The reflection is on one guy right now but when you look at it overall — those kids that have moms and dads and brothers and sisters and goals in life — I don't know how many of those 70 that left really wanted to leave or they were kicked in the butt to get out."

Pat Narduzzi is not president of the Deion Sanders Fan Club. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

So Narduzzi clearly has a different style than Coach Prime. And he believes Sanders might eventually regret cleaning house.

"I think he'll be shocked that he probably had some pretty good football players in that room," Narduzzi said. "When I got to Pitt back in 2015, I didn't kick anybody off. Zero. Those are your guys. When you become a head coach you inherit that team, and you coach that team. If someone wants to leave, that's great. You don't kick them out. I disagree with that whole process. That's not why I got in the game."

While Narduzzi and others might not be a fan of or agree with Sanders, it's not going to stop the Colorado coach from doing what he thinks is best for his program.

If the Buffaloes perform well on the field this fall, it'll be vindication for Coach Prime. If not, well, Narduzzi probably won't be the only one who has something to say about it.