Deion Sanders pushes back at criticism from Pitt coach

Deion Sanders has made himself the focal point of the Colorado football program, and not everybody likes it. 

Sanders, meanwhile, has no time for that criticism, and pushed back at Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi for calling out his strategy for reshaping the Buffaloes roster. 

Narduzzi said in May that Sanders' approach with Colorado — that has seen dozens of scholarship players transfer and leave the program — was a bad look for college football and that he was not sure that it was going to work out, while the reflection was all on one guy (Sanders).

In an interview with 247Sports, Sanders was asked about Narduzzi's criticism and offered this pushback:

"What was his situation when he came to Pitt? He had a different situation than me. He is not mad at me, he is mad at the situation in football now that allowed his best player to leave a year ago. He’s not mad at me, he’s using me to shoot bullets at another coach who he has an issue with. I don’t know who he is; if he walked in here right now I wouldn’t know him."

The "another coach" comment is a reference to Narduzzi's issue with USC head coach Lincoln Riley following the transfer of wide receiver Jordan Addison prior to the 2022 season.

Addison was the reigning Biletnikoff winner from the 2021 season as the top wide receiver in college football and abruptly transferred to USC as part of the Trojans' overhaul under through the transfer portal. Narduzzi was livid and called out Riley for his process. 

Sanders is entering his first year of coaching the Colorado program and has consistently made headlines for his process and the way he has brought in his own players through the transfer portal, forcing out returning players.

Colorado is coming off a 1-11 season and has had just two winning records over the past 17 years, with one of those being a 4-2 mark during the shortened 2020 season. The Buffaloes have been one of the worst D-1 programs in the country for the past two decades and clearly need a spark.

Sanders has provided that in a big way, with the team even drawing over 47,000 people for its spring game. Whether or not all of this will translate into wins remains to be seen.