Colorado spring game attendance plummets amid questions about Deion Sanders' future
It seems the honeymoon phase between head coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes is over.
ESPN's Andrea Adelson reported Colorado's spring game attendance fell from more than 47,000 in 2023 to 28,424 on Saturday. While it was the second-largest crowd for a spring game in school history, it's a notable drop-off.
Perhaps Colorado fans wonder if Sanders will bail on the program and follow his sons, quarterback Shedeur and safety Shilo, to the NFL. In his 2025 mock draft, Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports has the Carolina Panthers taking Shedeur with the first overall pick.
"I tell them the truth," Sanders said, via Adelson. "I tell them I'm a father, not a baby daddy. I don't follow my kids. I pave roads for my kids. I build generational wealth for my kids. I lead my kids. I don't follow my kids. So, I do not plan on following my kids to the NFL. I have work to do here."
Regardless, the Pro Football Hall of Famer must produce better results in 2024. After winning their first three games last season, the Buffaloes collapsed, finishing 4-8.
Sanders is relying on the transfer portal to revamp his roster. Per Adelson, 40 players have left the program, but more than 30 have committed since November.
Some of the additions have already flashed potential. FAU transfer wide receiver LaJohntay Wester logged 66 yards and a touchdown in the spring game.
"The progress that we've made is it's another caliber player that's playing, a player that truly expects to go to the next level, meaning the NFL," Sanders said. "I love what we're building in this locker room, and if you're not a part of that thought process or that desire, you don't fit. So now you see the gallop to the portal, you see that, but even with those guys, I wish them the best."
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