Folsom Field's New Turf Surface Being Installed For Colorado Buffaloes' 2025 Season

Folsom Field had a turf playing surface from 1971-98 before returning to grass ahead of the 1999 season. The decision to re-install turf comes with athletic director Rick George and coach Deion Sanders preparing for a potential College Football Playoff home game in December.

“I think putting turf down there gives us flexibility, certainly with the change in the College Football Playoff,” George told BuffZone. “Being a northern school, you don’t grow grass after October, and having a game in December was a big part of that consideration. Plus, it gives us another field that we can practice on daily that will benefit our football program.”

Turf also makes it easier for Folsom Field to host concerts, which creates revenue. After Phish performs next month, electronic dance producer John Summit will hold a show on Saturday, Oct. 18, during the Buffs' first bye week.

In April, "Coach Prime" shared his thoughts of Colorado's home field making the move to turf.

“We plan on making it to the playoffs,” Sanders said. “We don’t want to play in the frozen tundra... This university is a magnet for events, so when you have events and you’re putting a lot of wear and tear on grass, that’s kind of tough to bounce back on. I don’t know if you guys (media) have been on the field, but when you have evening games, it’s a dew that gets on the field, and it gets pretty slippery.

“Going to the turf just assures us a better footing, a better surface, and it takes a lot of pressure off our wonderful staff that’s doing the grounds. Now they can focus more on the other practice fields to make sure they’re straight all year round for us.”

Folsom Field will host seven home games this fall, beginning with Colorado's season opener against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Aug. 29. Delaware, Wyoming, BYU, Iowa State, Arizona and Arizona State are also set to play on Folsom's new surface.