Deion Sanders Reveals How He is Owning Colorado Buffaloes' Struggles

"You check everything in the house," Sanders said. "You start off with yourself to make sure you're putting in the time and the necessary efforts that you need to, and the knowledge of the game that you can extend to the staff as well as the players. . . Now, you go down and you're checking on coaches to make sure what's being taught is the right thing."

Even if not as thorough in reality, this statement breaks down how tight Sanders keeps his ship behind the scenes. After the Buffs take beatdowns, Coach Prime doesn't leave any stone unturned.

Still, whether those stones are in adequate spots remains to be seen. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has taken heat for his play-calling all season, and the honeymoon phase of defensive coordinator Robert Livingston is wearing thin.

No Staff Changes But Keeping Stove Hot

But Coach Prime doesn't play blame games, especially not for those he hired. When asked if a loss of Saturday's caliber warranted changes to assistant responsibilities, he preferred outlining tests and tweaks.

"We're always looking to improve in every area, getting the guys prepared," Sanders said. "And not only that, what's being called from play to play, situation to situation. We have a run game, pass game coordinator on both sides of the ball that's being challenged all the time. And I challenge these guys all the time, and I challenge myself all the time to get it right."

These challenges must ratchet up as bowl game odds lengthen, but Sanders is reflecting on himself the most. Since returning from Utah, all he's known is the Colorado facility's four walls.

"I feel the worst, and I haven’t been home yet," Sanders said. "That’s how much I care, how much I love it, how much I embody this university, this school and everything they’ve done for us."

Prime is steadfast in his squeeze of the 2025 Buffaloes, pushing for wins at all costs. He's long recognized his squad's potential and believes that increased consistency, physicality and practice translate to wins.

Even this past summer, he praised these Buffs as deeper and potentially better than the 9-4 squad that included wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders last season.

However, it's becoming clear that Colorado does not match the talent of its predecessors. Sanders knows that it takes collectivism to right this ship, and that he oversees that collective.

It may be too late to truly orchestrate a turnaround, especially if no drastic measures are taken, which is what looks likely. But if nothing else, 2025 has taught Coach Prime an assortment of much-needed lessons.