BOULDER, Colorado – It was the worst practice since Deion Sanders arrived at Colorado.
So much for the crisp, up-tempo “Speed Day” that Coach Prime planned for Tuesday’s session, the next-to-last practice before spring football drills conclude on Saturday with the annual black-and-gold scrimmage. The effort, focus and attention to detail left something to be desired.
Hey, don’t take it from me.
“How can you not go all-out for three reps?” Sanders grumbled during a post-practice interview with USA TODAY Sports. “That’s a problem.”
Sanders, heading into his third season at Colorado, is challenged to develop a new version of the Buffaloes without the presence of the two stars projected as high picks in the NFL draft next week – Heisman Trophy-winning two-way phenom Travis Hunter and his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders – but with the same type of intense spotlight attached to the program.
We coming? Yeah, and Sanders, the Pro Football Hall of Famer making another mark in the coaching ranks, is staying, too, having recently signed a five-year, $54 million extension that makes him one of college football’s highest-paid coaches.
Asked about the significance of his new deal, Sanders put it in a larger context that involves resources for the once-sagging football program that he has revitalized.
“We had to make sure we have the foundation that we need to be successful in this turbulent time in college football,” he said. “Because if the same teams keep going to the playoffs every year, that tells you something about the collectives and the NILs. I don’t think it says too much about the programs and coaching – I mean, there are some great coaches, don’t get me wrong. There are. But if the same teams go every year and they’re spending the same amount of money, it’s hard to compete with an institution that’s spending $25 million on freshmen alone.
“But our kids come out here to play for me and this staff. They don’t come out here for a bag, because they understand the real finances are garnished in the NFL, not with the NIL.”
That said, Sanders maintains that even without Shedeur and Hunter, he expects to field a better team than the squad that went 9-4 last season and tied for first in the Big 12 because the unit will be deeper in the trenches.
Of course, much will hinge on the process of replacing his son at quarterback, with a competition featuring fifth-year transfer Kaidon Salter and prized freshman recruit Julian “JuJu” Lewis. Salter came from the portal after four years at Liberty. Lewis is a five-star recruit from Carrollton, Ga. who was the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year.
“It’s going to be a good fight,” Sanders said. “Salter is good; he has the upper hand right now because he has the experience. Juju’s going to be a phenomenal quarterback.”
In any event, Tuesday’s practice was hardly an example of Coach Prime’s big-picture expectations, which include winning a postseason bowl game after last season ended with the thud of an Alamo Bowl loss to BYU. After declaring before practice that he merely wanted three full-speed reps from each player, he wound up cutting the session short because, well, he had seen enough. The whole practice lasted 68 minutes and was interrupted twice when he ordered wind sprints.
“If you’re not getting nothing out of ’em, we might as well condition,” he said.
At one point, an errant shotgun snap and slow reaction drew his ire. Watching from midfield in a hoodie, behind the defense, Sanders reacted by merely pointing to the sideline. The offensive unit took that cue to run a pair of sideline-to-sideline sprints.
“First of all, how do you get a bad snap in that situation?” Sanders reflected. “Secondly, why didn’t you go for the ball? So, there were like three parts to that.”
When it was over, after Sanders called a midfield huddle for a parting message on the indoor field, he took the team upstairs to the large meeting room.
“We watched the film, so they could see what we’re talking about,” Sanders said.
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He said he also had several of his assistant coaches speak to amplify the theme.
“Sometimes, coaches are not honest,” Sanders said. “But we’ve got to stop this delusion. Some kids are delusional. I’m a truth-teller. So, we’ve got to put it in perspective. ‘This is where you are. This is where you think you are, but this is where you really are.’ The coaches had to recalibrate these men and let them know who they are and what they need to do to get to the next level.”
With another level to pursue on the college football landscape, Sanders knows that one sloppy practice wasn’t a make-or-break moment. But no, they can’t get used to that. It was hardly surprising to hear him talk about the greater purpose of establishing a standard.
“A lot of the things I’m doing, I’m laying a foundation,” he said. “Sometimes when I do things, it’s not about right then. It’s about something that’s going to transpire later. I’ve got to get my team ready to fight adversity and go hard at all times.”
In the meantime, as was the case when he arrived at Colorado from Jackson State, he urged the players who are not all-in to hit the transfer portal that opens this week. That, too, is one of the realities of college football.
“I know you always have three or four surprises, so I’m trying to flush ’em out,” he said.
Sure enough, within hours of that worst practice, Sanders said he thinks three of his players were set to enter the transfer portal.
And perhaps they’ll take the memory of a sluggish practice with them.
Follow Jarrett Bell on social media: @JarrettBell