The Rebirth of Colorado Football
By: Janelle Bailey
In 2022, Colorado Football started the season 0-2, losing to TCU, who eventually became the runner-up of the College Football Playoffs.They would end the season with only 1 win and 11 losses. The cost to attend all Colorado football games was $222, according to CBS News. They ranked 5th in attendance at 46,485 for out of conference games and 6th in attendance for in conference games at 46,818. In a matter of months, decisions made by the Colorado Athletic Department would change the outlook of the program for the season ahead.
Deion Sanders was hired in December 2022 to be the next Head Coach of the Colorado Buffaloes Football program. He came from Jackson State after helping the school make a name for themselves. He faced plenty of backlash for his decision, but he understood where the criticism was coming from. Sanders believed he exceeded expectations at Jackson State after being hired in Sept. 2020 as Head Coach, Vice President and Director of Athletics. Ashley Robinson, Jackson State AD, asked Sanders to commit just two years to the program, but Sanders spent three seasons at Jackson State helping them to a record of 27–6 and played in back-to-back bowl games.
When Coach Sanders stepped foot on Colorado’s campus on December 5th 2022, he gave a speech to the Colorado Football team that would be seen all over social media and would set the tone for what was to come. After many players transferred out of Colorado, Coach Sanders brought his “Louis luggage”. His additions to the team included: Shedeur Sanders, his son and star quarterback who transferred from Jackson State, Travis Hunter, a talented two-way player from Jackson State, and many new faces who paired well with the few players who decided to stay for the new era of Colorado football.
After months of anticipation for the Colorado Football season and what was to come, everyone tuned in for the rematch of Colorado and TCU. Colorado showed that they had arrived after beating the Horned Frogs 45 to 42. This was a statement game for the Buffaloes after many had talked about this highly anticipated match-up.
Off the field, this team has one of the top NIL earner in college football in Shedeur Sanders. His NIL valuation is currently 4.1 million. With over a 1 million followers on Instagram and a growing fan base, he saw his valuation jump $2.8 million in the last 10 weeks. In this past week alone, his valuation spiked by $292,000, according to On3 NIL. Travis Hunter is also a notable name off the field. He’s often seen on Twitch live stream giving his hottest takes on football and ranking who should be the winner of the Heisman Trophy. His NIL value has surpassed the $1 million mark and has grown $253,000 in the last 10 weeks, according to On3 NIL.
The Buffaloes are currently 2-0 and ranked #18 in the latest AP poll. They play Colorado State on Saturday, September 16th and follow that match-up with an exciting ranked opponent in USC, led by the reigning Heisman Trophy Winner, Caleb Williams. Ticket prices for the games right now start at about $350 and go all the way up to $3,000. It is also going to be a star-studded event off the field with celebrities and sports personalities attending previous games like Lil Durk, Roy Woods, Stephen A Smith, Shannon Sharpe, Wu Tang Clan and many more. The rest of the season for the Colorado Buffaloes will be must-see TV.