Deion Sanders "Coach Prime" Now At Colorado

[DFW Horn 6385]

14 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

https://theathletic.com/4451509/2023/04/26/deion-sanders-colorado-transfer-portal/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Hide contents

Most of the 23 Colorado players who entered the transfer portal or announced plans to on Monday and Tuesday were told to do so, players say.

Defensive coordinator Charles Kelly called safety Jeremy Mack Jr., who made 48 tackles last year and worked with the first-team defense for much of the spring, into a meeting with Sanders, too.

“Coach Prime just told me up front, ‘We have plans to go another way. You competed. You did everything we wanted you to this spring, and you fought,’” Mack told The Athletic on Monday. “That was my first meeting with Coach Prime since I’ve been here.”

Since arriving at Colorado in December from Jackson State to much fanfare and intrigue, Sanders warned roster turnover was coming for a program that went 1-11 last season.

“I’m bringing my luggage with me, and it’s Louis,” the Pro Football Hall of Famer famously told his team in their first meeting, referencing the luxury brand Louis Vuitton as a way of announcing better players would be joining the program. “I want y’all to get ready to go ahead and jump in that portal. … The more you jump in, the more room you make.”

In the transfer portal era, pushing players out has never been easier or more common, but no one has done it in terms of sheer volume like Sanders. A total of 51 Buffaloes have entered or said they plan to since the portal first opened in December – 46 since Sanders took over Dec. 2. No other program has lost more than 29 players.

As in any coaching change, there’s no single reason why players depart. Some do it of their own volition, some less so.

Montana Lemonious-Craig starred in Saturday’s spring game, but he entered the portal Monday. He’s “one of the few kids who wasn’t pushed out” of the program, said Malik James, a private coach of Lemonious-Craig, who didn’t explain the receiver’s decision to enter the portal. “He loves Coach Prime and the program.”

Over the weekend, Sanders reiterated that Colorado would be making room for incoming transfers who Sanders has been chasing.

“You all know that we’re gonna move on from some of the team members, and we’re gonna reload and get some kids that we really identify with,” Sanders said after Saturday’s spring game. “So this process is gonna be quick, it’s gonna be fast, but we’re gonna get it done.”

“We’ve got to make some decisions,” Sanders continued. “That’s gonna be on me now.”

The Athletic reached out to dozens of Colorado’s transfers and spoke with five players who departed the program — three who left before Saturday and two who were cut on Sunday — to get a clearer picture of how the roster turnover has played out inside the Buffaloes program.

Mack may have been caught off guard, but for other players, it was clear where Sanders and his staff were investing their efforts. A line emerged, players said, between the returning players and newcomers.

“None of the new coaches would talk to the old players and treat us the same as the people they brought in,” said tight end Zach Courtney, who entered the transfer portal April 19. “The new guys wouldn’t be picked on as much in film. Coaches would tell them to just do better, but if it was an old player, they’d keep going off on what you did wrong and keep yelling about it.”

Eight Jackson State transfers were on Colorado’s spring roster. One is Sanders’ son, Shedeur Sanders, who Sanders introduced as the starting quarterback at his introductory news conference. Another is Travis Hunter, the nation’s top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2022.

That duo helped Sanders, in his first college coaching job, rack up a 27-6 record in three seasons at the Historically Black College and University, highlighted by a 23-3 record in his final two seasons. Sanders’ on-field success and recruiting prowess reeling in prospects like Hunter and a host of Power 5 transfers turned him into a desirable candidate on the coaching carousel.

So far, the Buffaloes have accepted 29 incoming transfers, some of whom practiced this spring, and more are expected to arrive this summer. College football recently eliminated the cap on 25 signees in a single class, allowing new coaches to flip a roster faster than ever.

Players have until April 30 to enter the transfer portal, but teams can continue to add players to their roster after the deadline.

The five players The Athletic spoke with relayed one consistent reality for players Sanders inherited: He spent little to no time coaching or speaking with them.

“I felt like he was more of a motivational speaker. He gives good advice, but he didn’t really talk to me once,” Courtney said. “I never really got to experience his coaching.”

“No relationship with him at all. I said what’s up to him a few times,” said Gray, who practiced with the second team before an injury during a scrimmage forced him to miss two days of spring practice. “I’m not sure he knew the names of half the kids he got rid of. He was worried about who he brought in. If you were on the 1-11 team, it seemed like he didn’t really care about us at all. He already said he was going to get rid of 25-30 of us, and that’s exactly what he did.”

Defensive back Simeon Harris, who entered the transfer portal April 17 after making 21 tackles as a true freshman in 2022, said he accepted how it was to play for the new coach.

“It was fun. He wants what he wants. He’s old-school and down to earth, and he’s going to be honest with you,” Harris said. “I didn’t really talk to him much, but you say what’s up in the elevator, say good morning, things like that.”

Two players said they experienced what they viewed as favoritism toward the newcomers and noted that while many of the new players who transferred in meshed well with the team, most who arrived from Jackson State kept to themselves.

Sanders elected to make players earn their jersey numbers in spring practice, with newcomer Jimmy Horn Jr., a transfer receiver from USF, being the first player to be given his.

“Everything you do around here will be earned. We ain’t giving you nothing,” Sanders told the team, according to a video posted to YouTube this spring. “So you gotta go get it, and you gotta take it.”

Cameras are common in the facility at practice, documenting the program for an upcoming reality show and a variety of YouTube channels that cover the program and players within it.

Added one player who is transferring and asked not to be identified so that he wouldn’t have trouble finding a new school: “Wherever the camera’s at, that’s where Deion is.”

Harris and Mack both noted they loved playing for Kelly, Sanders’ defensive coordinator who came to Colorado after four seasons working under Nick Saban at Alabama.

For his part, Sanders continued to speak publicly about the expected overhaul of the roster during spring practice this month.

“What you see is not what you’re gonna see,” he said April 15 of the spring game.

He also noted: “We’re not upset that anybody jumped in the portal and left. And we’re elated about the young men that we have coming in because they’re difference-makers. They’re truly difference-makers.”

Did players like Mack have the option to stay and not transfer?

“I guess not,” Mack said. “At the end of the day, I knew I did everything I could in my control to play ball. I just took it how I have to take it. It was out of my control.”

A recent NCAA rule change allows first-year coaches to cut players from the roster as long as they also honor their scholarships even though they’re no longer part of the football program. Asked about the rule, a Colorado spokesman said the university plans to honor all NCAA rules and bylaws.

Gray said he was offered a chance to keep his scholarship and not play football and hadn’t heard from any teammates who had not been given that offer.

“All the players who entered the transfer portal, we want to play football,” Gray said.

Last year, USC coach Lincoln Riley used the rule to drop 10 scholarship players from the roster as he attempted a quick remake of the program.

The 46 transfers since Sanders’ arrival are a mix of players who contributed at varying levels. Some played little or none at all in their time in Boulder.

Others like running back Deion Smith and receiver Jordyn Tyson, both of whom entered the portal on Monday, led the team in rushing and receiving in 2022, respectively.

Lemonious-Craig caught a 98-yard touchdown in the spring game and led the team with 23 receptions last year, totaling 359 yards and three scores. Nikko Reed, the team’s best cornerback a season ago, left the team and entered the portal last week.

Casey Roddick, one of the team’s leaders last season and its best offensive lineman, landed at Florida State and joined the Seminoles before spring after starting 30 games and playing in 42 for the Buffaloes. Cornerback Kaylin Moorestarted 14 games and committed to Cal after entering the transfer portal.

Other Buffaloes have landed at Boise State (WR Chase Perry), Charlotte (OL Austin Johnson) and Southern Illinois (OL Noah Fenske). A trio of quarterbacks — J.T. Shrout, Owen McCown and Maddox Kopp — ended up signing with Arkansas State, UTSA and Miami (Ohio), respectively.

But the majority of those who have left Colorado have yet to find new homes. Some could be searching for a while. Others, like Lemonious-Craig, had offers from major schools like Auburn, Penn State and Arkansas pour in almost immediately.

The transfer portal has given players more freedom of movement than ever, and the players who left Colorado will have immediate eligibility.

“He was a businessman,” Mack said of Sanders.

And the rule changes that benefit first-year coaches mean the cold reality that college football is a business hits home for more players more swiftly than ever before.

“For the new players, this spring was pretty electrifying,” Courtney said. “But for older guys, people really didn’t feel like we were wanted there. It was droopy. Sad.”

Said Gray: “We believed in him and his methods, and even though he told us he was bringing his Louis with him and suggested we all transfer, we all still stuck with him until we all got cut on Sunday. He’s trying to do his own thing and make his own team. It’ll be a whole new team, and I hope he has what he’s looking for.”

 

Thanks for sharing The Athletic articles here and saving a few of us $1.50/mo.

What a dick move by Coach Prime, cutting a legacy kid like Gray after the spring game. 

Edited April 26, 2023 by DFW Horn

[LTbear 4172]

36 minutes ago, Pam Cummings said:

Getting rid of bad players and replacing them with different bad players or no players at all is not a very good strategy, cotton. It doesn't matter if the player is bad, the good players need bodies to practice against.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10373]

People aren't understanding the power the portal gives full rebuilds like this for Sanders. He's not culling the herd and then going out to the portal to find better players.

He's finding better players and then making room for them.  He's already added 30+ from the portal and more will be announced soon.

[Texasrocks 2149]

With the Pirate gone, Deion joins Lane Kiffin as one of my favorite college coaches who I never want to coach at Texas. Is he a good person? Will he win X games this year? Has he impregnated some random coed? I honestly don't care as long as they are entertaining. And don't turn into Pedo State or Baylor.

[Vertigo 20344]

59 minutes ago, DFW Horn said:

Thanks for sharing The Athletic articles here and saving a few of us $1.50/mo.

What a dick move by Coach Prime, cutting a legacy kid like Gray after the spring game. 

especially a kid who is 6'8'' and 320 pounds. You could.. you know.. develop him. 

[DanTheHorn 4970]

37 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

https://theathletic.com/4451509/2023/04/26/deion-sanders-colorado-transfer-portal/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Most of the 23 Colorado players who entered the transfer portal or announced plans to on Monday and Tuesday were told to do so, players say.

Defensive coordinator Charles Kelly called safety Jeremy Mack Jr., who made 48 tackles last year and worked with the first-team defense for much of the spring, into a meeting with Sanders, too.

“Coach Prime just told me up front, ‘We have plans to go another way. You competed. You did everything we wanted you to this spring, and you fought,’” Mack told The Athletic on Monday. “That was my first meeting with Coach Prime since I’ve been here.”

Since arriving at Colorado in December from Jackson State to much fanfare and intrigue, Sanders warned roster turnover was coming for a program that went 1-11 last season.

“I’m bringing my luggage with me, and it’s Louis,” the Pro Football Hall of Famer famously told his team in their first meeting, referencing the luxury brand Louis Vuitton as a way of announcing better players would be joining the program. “I want y’all to get ready to go ahead and jump in that portal. … The more you jump in, the more room you make.”

In the transfer portal era, pushing players out has never been easier or more common, but no one has done it in terms of sheer volume like Sanders. A total of 51 Buffaloes have entered or said they plan to since the portal first opened in December – 46 since Sanders took over Dec. 2. No other program has lost more than 29 players.

As in any coaching change, there’s no single reason why players depart. Some do it of their own volition, some less so.

Montana Lemonious-Craig starred in Saturday’s spring game, but he entered the portal Monday. He’s “one of the few kids who wasn’t pushed out” of the program, said Malik James, a private coach of Lemonious-Craig, who didn’t explain the receiver’s decision to enter the portal. “He loves Coach Prime and the program.”

Over the weekend, Sanders reiterated that Colorado would be making room for incoming transfers who Sanders has been chasing.

“You all know that we’re gonna move on from some of the team members, and we’re gonna reload and get some kids that we really identify with,” Sanders said after Saturday’s spring game. “So this process is gonna be quick, it’s gonna be fast, but we’re gonna get it done.”

“We’ve got to make some decisions,” Sanders continued. “That’s gonna be on me now.”

The Athletic reached out to dozens of Colorado’s transfers and spoke with five players who departed the program — three who left before Saturday and two who were cut on Sunday — to get a clearer picture of how the roster turnover has played out inside the Buffaloes program.

Mack may have been caught off guard, but for other players, it was clear where Sanders and his staff were investing their efforts. A line emerged, players said, between the returning players and newcomers.

“None of the new coaches would talk to the old players and treat us the same as the people they brought in,” said tight end Zach Courtney, who entered the transfer portal April 19. “The new guys wouldn’t be picked on as much in film. Coaches would tell them to just do better, but if it was an old player, they’d keep going off on what you did wrong and keep yelling about it.”

Eight Jackson State transfers were on Colorado’s spring roster. One is Sanders’ son, Shedeur Sanders, who Sanders introduced as the starting quarterback at his introductory news conference. Another is Travis Hunter, the nation’s top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2022.

That duo helped Sanders, in his first college coaching job, rack up a 27-6 record in three seasons at the Historically Black College and University, highlighted by a 23-3 record in his final two seasons. Sanders’ on-field success and recruiting prowess reeling in prospects like Hunter and a host of Power 5 transfers turned him into a desirable candidate on the coaching carousel.

So far, the Buffaloes have accepted 29 incoming transfers, some of whom practiced this spring, and more are expected to arrive this summer. College football recently eliminated the cap on 25 signees in a single class, allowing new coaches to flip a roster faster than ever.

Players have until April 30 to enter the transfer portal, but teams can continue to add players to their roster after the deadline.

The five players The Athletic spoke with relayed one consistent reality for players Sanders inherited: He spent little to no time coaching or speaking with them.

“I felt like he was more of a motivational speaker. He gives good advice, but he didn’t really talk to me once,” Courtney said. “I never really got to experience his coaching.”

“No relationship with him at all. I said what’s up to him a few times,” said Gray, who practiced with the second team before an injury during a scrimmage forced him to miss two days of spring practice. “I’m not sure he knew the names of half the kids he got rid of. He was worried about who he brought in. If you were on the 1-11 team, it seemed like he didn’t really care about us at all. He already said he was going to get rid of 25-30 of us, and that’s exactly what he did.”

Defensive back Simeon Harris, who entered the transfer portal April 17 after making 21 tackles as a true freshman in 2022, said he accepted how it was to play for the new coach.

“It was fun. He wants what he wants. He’s old-school and down to earth, and he’s going to be honest with you,” Harris said. “I didn’t really talk to him much, but you say what’s up in the elevator, say good morning, things like that.”

Two players said they experienced what they viewed as favoritism toward the newcomers and noted that while many of the new players who transferred in meshed well with the team, most who arrived from Jackson State kept to themselves.

Sanders elected to make players earn their jersey numbers in spring practice, with newcomer Jimmy Horn Jr., a transfer receiver from USF, being the first player to be given his.

“Everything you do around here will be earned. We ain’t giving you nothing,” Sanders told the team, according to a video posted to YouTube this spring. “So you gotta go get it, and you gotta take it.”

Cameras are common in the facility at practice, documenting the program for an upcoming reality show and a variety of YouTube channels that cover the program and players within it.

Added one player who is transferring and asked not to be identified so that he wouldn’t have trouble finding a new school: “Wherever the camera’s at, that’s where Deion is.”

Harris and Mack both noted they loved playing for Kelly, Sanders’ defensive coordinator who came to Colorado after four seasons working under Nick Saban at Alabama.

For his part, Sanders continued to speak publicly about the expected overhaul of the roster during spring practice this month.

“What you see is not what you’re gonna see,” he said April 15 of the spring game.

He also noted: “We’re not upset that anybody jumped in the portal and left. And we’re elated about the young men that we have coming in because they’re difference-makers. They’re truly difference-makers.”

Did players like Mack have the option to stay and not transfer?

“I guess not,” Mack said. “At the end of the day, I knew I did everything I could in my control to play ball. I just took it how I have to take it. It was out of my control.”

A recent NCAA rule change allows first-year coaches to cut players from the roster as long as they also honor their scholarships even though they’re no longer part of the football program. Asked about the rule, a Colorado spokesman said the university plans to honor all NCAA rules and bylaws.

Gray said he was offered a chance to keep his scholarship and not play football and hadn’t heard from any teammates who had not been given that offer.

“All the players who entered the transfer portal, we want to play football,” Gray said.

Last year, USC coach Lincoln Riley used the rule to drop 10 scholarship players from the roster as he attempted a quick remake of the program.

The 46 transfers since Sanders’ arrival are a mix of players who contributed at varying levels. Some played little or none at all in their time in Boulder.

Others like running back Deion Smith and receiver Jordyn Tyson, both of whom entered the portal on Monday, led the team in rushing and receiving in 2022, respectively.

Lemonious-Craig caught a 98-yard touchdown in the spring game and led the team with 23 receptions last year, totaling 359 yards and three scores. Nikko Reed, the team’s best cornerback a season ago, left the team and entered the portal last week.

Casey Roddick, one of the team’s leaders last season and its best offensive lineman, landed at Florida State and joined the Seminoles before spring after starting 30 games and playing in 42 for the Buffaloes. Cornerback Kaylin Moorestarted 14 games and committed to Cal after entering the transfer portal.

Other Buffaloes have landed at Boise State (WR Chase Perry), Charlotte (OL Austin Johnson) and Southern Illinois (OL Noah Fenske). A trio of quarterbacks — J.T. Shrout, Owen McCown and Maddox Kopp — ended up signing with Arkansas State, UTSA and Miami (Ohio), respectively.

But the majority of those who have left Colorado have yet to find new homes. Some could be searching for a while. Others, like Lemonious-Craig, had offers from major schools like Auburn, Penn State and Arkansas pour in almost immediately.

The transfer portal has given players more freedom of movement than ever, and the players who left Colorado will have immediate eligibility.

“He was a businessman,” Mack said of Sanders.

And the rule changes that benefit first-year coaches mean the cold reality that college football is a business hits home for more players more swiftly than ever before.

“For the new players, this spring was pretty electrifying,” Courtney said. “But for older guys, people really didn’t feel like we were wanted there. It was droopy. Sad.”

Said Gray: “We believed in him and his methods, and even though he told us he was bringing his Louis with him and suggested we all transfer, we all still stuck with him until we all got cut on Sunday. He’s trying to do his own thing and make his own team. It’ll be a whole new team, and I hope he has what he’s looking for.”

 

Well there are lots of college athletes saying coach Prime is an asshole. My kids had some great coaches and some really shitty coaches with terrible personalities anywhere from little league to college. Yet, even the shitty ones would eventually give them a starting spot. Every one of my kids got the same advice when they complained. I would tell them that coaches love one thing over everything and that is winning. I would say make it impossible for the coach to ignore your contributions during practice with relentless effort and a great attitude even if they are pieces of shit. Maybe the inherited players did not get a fair shot but more than likely they did not rise above being ignored either since I am sure if they had they would have not been asked to leave.

The other side of the coin is that kids that bust their ass with great attitudes know they can do better and will leave an asshole coach behind. It looks like both type players are leaving Colorado.

[SHOOTER12 8840]

On 4/25/2023 at 8:35 AM, TreatyOak said:

 

Like everyone here, I have no idea if Colorado will be improved this fall.

Regardless, I absolutely love what Coach Prime is doing there. He is an innovative marketer who understands how to leverage his personal brand for recruiting purposes. I'd say getting a fulI stadium for a nationally talked-about spring game at Colorado in five months is a huge win. I wish them success. 

Agreed (bolded part), but at the same time it's going to be damned hard to not be improved, and damned near impossible to do worse. No place to go but up.

Edited April 26, 2023 by SHOOTER12

[Deej 77012]

8 minutes ago, SHOOTER12 said:

No place to go but up.

We've been saying that since the last few years of Mack Brown. 

[TreatyOak 16442]

10 minutes ago, SHOOTER12 said:

Agreed (bolded part), but at the same time it's going to be damned hard to not be improved, and damned near impossible to do worse. No place to go but up.

I'm sure that must have been a big factor in his choice of Colorado. 

[bad_teammate 13228]

Quote

The five players The Athletic spoke with relayed one consistent reality for players Sanders inherited: He spent little to no time coaching or speaking with them.

lol Deion ain't here to play coaching

Reading the article itself, none of this sounds like a big deal within the context of NCAA football. Business as usual. Kids got cut and have hurt feelings about it. Some hate the coach. World spins 'round.

What will actually be fun is if the team fucking sucks or fucking rules. Anything below 3-8 or above 8-3 is fun. Anything between that is boring. And short of him banging some cheerleaders, the off-the-field stuff is much ado about nothing.

[closetojumping 62951]

1 hour ago, LTbear said:

If you explore the way they rank the team's working the portal, they're only accounting for in-flow. I guess the point of view from folks dismissing the overall roster attrition are fine with that, but CU has lost multiple players that they'd prefer to have kept at this point. Not many, but it's at least 4, 1 of whom came to CU with Sanders.

As of now, the count looks like: 62 players returning - 51 exits + 29 transfers - 1transfer in transferring out + 19 recruits = 58 players to be on the roster for 2023. That's like Miami from the mid-90's low. They're going to need to add a bunch of guys and, irrespective of what Deion or people in the media carrying water for him say, there's not a ton of top tier talent from the portal to add unless there's a big run over the next few days for guys to get in the motherfucker. Never mind any further attrition in the next few days or over the course of the summer. 

As of now, the roster can only have a theoretical 7 of 22 starting positions with a 4 or 5 star starter manning the position. At CB, they will be able to cover people like a motherfucker with McClain and Hunter. They have 2 4 star WR transfers from USF and a 4 star WR recruit. 1 4 star TE. 1 4 star TB. At WR, the 4 star transfers were outclassed by Lemonius-Craig and Hunter, so not sure how terrific they're going to be.

In short, those "200+ 4 and 5 star recruits and P5 starters" are going to need to start showing up reaaaalll quicklike. Otherwise, this dude is about to be starting a bunch of guys that couldn't hack it at other schools after having decent high school grades, true freshmen, Hunter, Sanders and McClain, and a bunch of other dudes that he would have cut if they were on the roster when he showed up. The more I look at what is happening, the more entertaining this is getting.

[LTbear 4172]

2 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

If you explore the way they rank the team's working the portal, they're only accounting for in-flow. I guess the point of view from folks dismissing the overall roster attrition are fine with that, but CU has lost multiple players that they'd prefer to have kept at this point. Not many, but it's at least 4, 1 of whom came to CU with Sanders.

As of now, the count looks like: 62 players returning - 51 exits + 29 transfers - 1transfer in transferring out + 19 recruits = 58 players to be on the roster for 2023. That's like Miami from the mid-90's low. They're going to need to add a bunch of guys and, irrespective of what Deion or people in the media carrying water for him say, there's not a ton of top tier talent from the portal to add unless there's a big run over the next few days for guys to get in the motherfucker. Never mind any further attrition in the next few days or over the course of the summer. 

As of now, the roster can only have a theoretical 7 of 22 starting positions with a 4 or 5 star starter manning the position. At CB, they will be able to cover people like a motherfucker with McClain and Hunter. They have 2 4 star WR transfers from USF and a 4 star WR recruit. 1 4 star TE. 1 4 star TB. At WR, the 4 star transfers were outclassed by Lemonius-Craig and Hunter, so not sure how terrific they're going to be.

In short, those "200+ 4 and 5 star recruits and P5 starters" are going to need to start showing up reaaaalll quicklike. Otherwise, this dude is about to be starting a bunch of guys that couldn't hack it at other schools after having decent high school grades, true freshmen, Hunter, Sanders and McClain, and a bunch of other dudes that he would have cut if they were on the roster when he showed up. The more I look at what is happening, the more entertaining this is getting.

I understand all the math. I was simply addressing last poster's uninformed "not bringing in anyone/ bringing in less talented" objection. Deion is doing an overhaul that may work out fine or may crash and burn. We'll see. 

[Pam Cummings 9694]

26 minutes ago, LTbear said:

I understand all the math. I was simply addressing last poster's uninformed "not bringing in anyone/ bringing in less talented" objection. Deion is doing an overhaul that may work out fine or may crash and burn. We'll see. 

CTJ basically said the same thing i did, with a more in depth explanation.

Edited April 26, 2023 by Pam Cummings

[Magus Ossis 2883]

After the fact, this is going to be a case study in something. For now, 🍿

[Chewbacca 7788]

2 hours ago, DFW Horn said:

Thanks for sharing The Athletic articles here and saving a few of us $1.50/mo.

What a dick move by Coach Prime, cutting a legacy kid like Gray after the spring game. 

Why is it a dick move?  This shit happens at every major program in the country, including Texas.  Kids are recruited over and told to hit the portal or medically 'retired' to free up their scholarship for someone else.  It's just happening in greater numbers at CU right now because of the shit show that Prime inherited.

[DFW Horn 6385]

Just now, Chewbacca said:

Why is it a dick move?  This shit happens at every major program in the country, including Texas.  Kids are recruited over and told to hit the portal or medically 'retired' to free up their scholarship for someone else.  It's just happening in greater numbers at CU right now because of the shit show that Prime inherited.

After practicing all spring?

Deion and his staff had enough time to review film and decide whether many of these kids fit into their plans. I guess it's his prerogative to cut players later, but Gray and others could've spent spring practice elsewhere. Now they're even further behind.

[Helobious 9484]

11 minutes ago, Magus Ossis said:

After the fact, this is going to be a case study in something. For now, 🍿

Yep. I have a lot of respect for people with the balls to do something drastically different than normal. That’s Deion.

[Chewbacca 7788]

9 minutes ago, DFW Horn said:

After practicing all spring?

Deion and his staff had enough time to review film and decide whether many of these kids fit into their plans. I guess it's his prerogative to cut players later, but Gray and others could've spent spring practice elsewhere. Now they're even further behind.

When else should he have done it?  He was hired in December after the season was over.  Spring practice was his first opportunity to evaluate the players on the field.  Or should he have cut the entire team when he got hired?

[Sawbonz 27722]

4 hours ago, closetojumping said:

No. And you know that, so keep the silly rhetorical tactics that work on imbeciles somewhere else out of the dialogue. 

“Are you predicting a playoff run?” could follow any number of your fanboi posts on this thread but it would be tedious. 

I’m predicting he won’t come close to where you guys think the 2023 season is headed and I’ve put my money where my mouth is. And they will get their heads beat in along the way, for the reasons I’ve cited on this thread from the jump. 

Well you did boldly challenge the board up to any amount that they won’t go to a bowl game. I think most feel 6 wins is the absolute ceiling. I think they’ll be fun to watch. I think he has surrounded himself with a solid staff. I’m definitely rooting for him

[Chewbacca 7788]

57 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

If you explore the way they rank the team's working the portal, they're only accounting for in-flow. I guess the point of view from folks dismissing the overall roster attrition are fine with that, but CU has lost multiple players that they'd prefer to have kept at this point. Not many, but it's at least 4, 1 of whom came to CU with Sanders.

Who are the 4?

[LTtxfan 49388]

18 minutes ago, DFW Horn said:

After practicing all spring?  Deion and his staff had enough time to review film and decide whether many of these kids fit into their plans. I guess it's his prerogative to cut players later, but Gray and others could've spent spring practice elsewhere. Now they're even further behind.

Deion needed to keep them around to have productive spring practices.  Many of them were on scholarship so they received benefits.

Keeping existing employees around for a short time when a business changes mgt happens a lot in the real world... then when it makes sense, new mgt culls the fuckin' herd... 

Good life lesson for the CU players that are now forced to move on...

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by LTtxfan

[Chewbacca 7788]

I'd say there's still some talent in the portal:

 

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by Chewbacca

[BurntOrange&White 40075]

19 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

I'd say there's still some talent in the portal:

 

 

Was hoping we'd make a move with him

 

[closetohumping 17507]

48 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

Well you did boldly challenge the board up to any amount that they won’t go to a bowl game. I think most feel 6 wins is the absolute ceiling. I think they’ll be fun to watch. I think he has surrounded himself with a solid staff. I’m definitely rooting for him

Good thing I’m not most.  6 is the basement.   Look forward to winning

[closetohumping 17507]

50 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

When else should he have done it?  He was hired in December after the season was over.  Spring practice was his first opportunity to evaluate the players on the field.  Or should he have cut the entire team when he got hired?

Feels like he kept them around to have enough bodies for the spring game

[Chewbacca 7788]

2 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

Feels like he kept them around to have enough bodies for the spring game

There may have been some of that, too.  But for the kids who didn't immediately jump in the portal when he got hired, they got a chance to compete and see if they can be contributors.  For most the answer was no, but they got that opportunity.

[Sawbonz 27722]

49 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

Good thing I’m not most.  6 is the basement.   Look forward to winning

 

o/u is 4.5. I would probably take the over

 

[Sawbonz 27722]

5 hours ago, DFW Horn said:

Mensa > 7-win Sark > Jumbo > CFS ?

Counterpoint

[closetohumping 17507]

[Vertigo 20344]

1 hour ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Was hoping we'd make a move with him

 

[bad_teammate 13228]

 

[Dbeasy 15168]

I’m not nearly as pessimistic as others about what Deion is doing at Colorado. He probably has major NIL money from Anschutz or similar, already has new guys coming, and more on the way. It actually could be a remarkable turnaround. They will struggle this year a bit because of the lack of depth and short practice time, but will have a quick turnaround for year 2 and beyond. Pretty interesting to watch. 

[closetojumping 62951]

3 hours ago, Pam Cummings said:

CTJ basically said the same thing i did, with a more in depth explanation.

2 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

Who are the 4?

Well, Lemonius Craig, Casey Roddick, Jalen Sami and @Newy25 will have to attest to the guy that transferred in who is transferring out. There are a couple of other 4 stars that could be argued as guys they wanted to keep as well but it's not like they'll tell us that.

1 hour ago, Sawbonz said:

 

o/u is 4.5. I would probably take the over

 

I will be in Vegas this summer. If this number moves to 5.5, I am putting all of the monies on the under. 

[Vertigo 20344]

2 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I will be in Vegas this summer. If this number moves to 5.5, I am putting all of the monies on the under. 

This seems like a really good opportunity to get some use out of Sydney's paycheck. 

[Trojan Man 429]

6 hours ago, Pam Cummings said:

It could easily happen. The article about Charlie Weis ruining Kansas by doing this exact thing was pretty eye-opening.

It's a lot harder to dig yourself into a massive roster hole today like Weis and others did at Kansas.  Portal, Covid bonus year increasing the number of veteran players looking for a home, no more initial counter limits.  None of these were possible when Kansas' coaches were loading up on juco players.  Getting 85 good players is still a challenge, but getting 85 FBS-level players no longer requires years of balanced recruiting and meticulous roster management.

 

1 hour ago, closetohumping said:

Good thing I’m not most.  6 is the basement.   Look forward to winning

Where do you see 6 guaranteed wins on that schedule?  At Oregon, USC and at Utah would be "biggest upset of the season" territory if Colorado pulls those off so we're down to 9 games.  TCU, at UCLA and Oregon State would be pretty notable upsets.  6 games left.  Nebraska and Arizona are in mild upset territory.  It might sound weird to have Arizona in that category but they have a good QB, their recruiting has been trending up the last couple years and their coach knows what he is doing.  They are on the upswing.  Colorado has 4 games that wouldn't be upsets if they won (Colorado State, at Arizona State, Stanford, at Washington State), but it wouldn't be shocking if they blow some of those games since most teams don't go undefeated in winnable games.  Then there are some factors working against them I talked about earlier, like the brutal start to the season taking the wind out of their sails early on and teams taking Colorado seriously for the first time since they joined the Pac 12 instead of treating that week as a semi-bye week.

Sanders has a path to recruit enough talent to build contenders in either the Pac 12 or the Big 12, depending on how the TV contract situation plays out, but 2023 will be rough.  He's going from a situation where he out-talented everybody he played at the FCS level to a job where he will be out-talented most games this fall.  That will be a learning curve.  It took time for more successful FCS coaches than Sanders to figure things out at the FBS level.  After dominating at North Dakota State Craig Bohl has never won more than 8 games in his 9 years at Wyoming, though 8 wins for them is still pretty good.  Chris Klieman won 4 FCS titles in 5 years as Bohl's successor.  He needed 4 years to win 10 games and a conference title at Kansas State.

[closetojumping 62951]

3 minutes ago, Trojan Man said:

Where do you see 6 guaranteed wins on that schedule?  At Oregon, USC and at Utah would be "biggest upset of the season" territory if Colorado pulls those off so we're down to 9 games.  TCU, at UCLA and Oregon State would be pretty notable upsets.  6 games left.  Nebraska and Arizona are in mild upset territory.  It might sound weird to have Arizona in that category but they have a good QB, their recruiting has been trending up the last couple years and their coach knows what he is doing.  They are on the upswing.  Colorado has 4 games that wouldn't be upsets if they won (Colorado State, at Arizona State, Stanford, at Washington State), but it wouldn't be shocking if they blow some of those games since most teams don't go undefeated in winnable games.  Then there are some factors working against them I talked about earlier, like the brutal start to the season taking the wind out of their sails early on and teams taking Colorado seriously for the first time since they joined the Pac 12 instead of treating that week as a semi-bye week.

Sanders has a path to recruit enough talent to build contenders in either the Pac 12 or the Big 12, depending on how the TV contract situation plays out, but 2023 will be rough.  He's going from a situation where he out-talented everybody he played at the FCS level to a job where he will be out-talented most games this fall.  That will be a learning curve.  It took time for more successful FCS coaches than Sanders to figure things out at the FBS level.  After dominating at North Dakota State Craig Bohl has never won more than 8 games in his 9 years at Wyoming, though 8 wins for them is still pretty good.  Chris Klieman won 4 FCS titles in 5 years as Bohl's successor.  He needed 4 years to win 10 games and a conference title at Kansas State.

Most folks on here and in life don't watch a ton of actual football. They watch their teams. If we could give the football board a truth serum and have them answer the question: "Who is the Arizona Head Football Coach?", 98+% of the board would answer incorrectly or simply stare at you like Bevis and Butthead when confronted with a Billie Eilish video.

I asked a table of buddies that question early in the 2022 season, including a guy that is a regular here, who all watch a ton of CFB each season, and not one of them could answer that question correctly. That same issue is probably true now and I would bet a mortgage payment on them and everyone here not knowing the name of the ASU HC right now. Hell, I don't even remember the name of the Sacto State guy at Stanford now and I pay attention. 

I do think your USC bias is showing when you rank Wazzou as an even-ish game. To you, they're a team that anyone should beat. To this CU program, they should considered the favorite in that game. They played well last year for most of the season. USC kind of blew them out and then they didn't close well, but they were a bowl team and the Dickert dude seems like a good fit for Pullman. CU going to Pullman for a Friday night game late in the season seems like a tough haul. Shitty trip with no depth on a weird night doesn't seem conducive for pulling that one out.

[Sawbonz 27722]

6 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Lemonious-Craig caught a 98-yard touchdown in the spring game and led the team with 23 receptions last year, totaling 359 yards and three scores

 

oof

 

[Helobious 9484]

The fact that most of these players were asked to leave and did not just quit says a lot. He knows exactly what he’s doing. 

[HtownHorn 14812]

Deion came from the FCS, maybe he legit thinks that the scholarship limit is 63, like it was at Jackson State.

Edited April 26, 2023 by HtownHorn

[Deej 77012]

44 minutes ago, Helobious said:

The fact that most of these players were asked to leave and did not just quit says a lot. He knows exactly what he’s doing. 

At least he thinks he does. 

[Chewbacca 7788]

1 minute ago, Deej said:

At least he thinks he does. 

There is a plan, for sure.  He's not shooting from the hip here.  Prime was on Pat Mcafee today and said he knows who's coming but he can't tell us yet.  

[Deej 77012]

Pat had time to talk to Deion while he was sucking Aaron Rodgers' cock?

[MrBig 5477]

7 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

There is a plan, for sure.  He's not shooting from the hip here.  Prime was on Pat Mcafee today and said he knows who's coming but he can't tell us yet.  

Well shit Aaron Rodgers told Pat that Quinn Ewers was gonna be great here at Texas. Should we be thinking Heisman or Championship next season based on what people tell Pat McAfee?

[Sawbonz 27722]

Being on the same side as helobius in this argument has me thinking of reassessing things

[Chewbacca 7788]

3 minutes ago, MrBig said:

Well shit Aaron Rodgers told Pat that Quinn Ewers was gonna be great here at Texas. Should we be thinking Heisman or Championship next season based on what people tell Pat McAfee?

Yes, let the hate flow!

I just said there is a plan and this turnover is on purpose.  I'm not making bowl game travel plans yet.

[Deej 77012]

If Colorado doesn't get out of the sinking ship that is the Pac12, Deion won't be there long anyway. 

[HtownHorn 14812]

6 minutes ago, Deej said:

If Colorado doesn't get out of the sinking ship that is the Pac12, Deion won't be there long anyway. 

He will be leaving after 2 winning seasons.

25 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

There is a plan, for sure.  He's not shooting from the hip here.  Prime was on Pat Mcafee today and said he knows who's coming but he can't tell us yet.  

What the fuck does this mean, he can't tell us yet? That makes no fucking sense at all.

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by HtownHorn

[satyanash 14697]

6 hours ago, SHOOTER12 said:

Agreed (bolded part), but at the same time it's going to be damned hard to not be improved, and damned near impossible to do worse. No place to go but up.

You'd be surprised at how big an impact experience (even crappy experience) has. I don't think Deion is being more asshole-ish than other coaches in a significant way when it comes to the portal, and there's clearly a method to his madness. But a roster with as little experience as his is going to have will not win many games at all. I think his supporters will have to be patient, next year will not be a quick turnaround. But beyond that...

[Chewbacca 7788]

3 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

He will be leaving after 2 winning seasons.

What the fuck does this mean, he can't tell us yet? That makes no fucking sense at all.

 

I think it means he lets the kids announce.  That's always been his MO.  Buffs got 3 transfer commits today (2 from FSU).

[Chewbacca 7788]

1 minute ago, satyanash said:

You'd be surprised at how big an impact experience (even crappy experience) has. I don't think Deion is being more asshole-ish than other coaches in a significant way when it comes to the portal, and there's clearly a method to his madness. But a roster with as little experience as his is going to have will not win many games at all. I think his supporters will have to be patient, next year will not be a quick turnaround. But beyond that...

I think you underestimate how bad the team was last year and how broken the culture was.  They lost by an average of almost 30 points.  The ENTIRE TEAM only scored 22 TDs all year.  The ENTIRE TEAM only had 9 sacks last year.  And after the season, some of the players were quoted as saying it was the most fun they've ever had playing football.

In most cases, I would agree with you, but this is not one of them.