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Deion Sanders shut out in 2026 NFL Draft with two Colorado castaways in top 40
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- Deion Sanders shut out in 2026 NFL Draft with two Colorado castaways in top 40
Deion Sanders shut out in 2026 NFL Draft with two Colorado castaways in top 40 originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The never-ending stories about players leaving Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes football program have never gotten old. There seems to be a plot twist, or someone trying to lay blame at the feet of the athletes who decided to move on and play somewhere else. For whatever reason, they decided to leave, which is viewed as selling out like a New York Times bestseller.
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College football has become a business with all parties well compensated. Now that the athletes are added to the equation with NIL valuations, we have a total cluster that is ready to explode in the face of any head coach who isn't willing to do what it takes to retain their athletes at the end of each season.
Today's athletes know that if a coach can develop and teach them the nuances of the positions they play, through their continued hard work and raising their play-making ability, they could have an opportunity to hear their names called when the NFL draft takes place.
Sanders parlayed his success at Jackson State into where he's at right now with Colorado. The Buffs football program has additional resources to acquire athletes with a sizable NIL budget, and isn't comparable to JSU. If the records between Jackson State and Colorado were compared to one another based on two full football seasons, it would leave everyone scratching their heads because Coach Prime did more with less.
During Sanders' time coaching at Jackson State, he didn't sign any 5-star offensive or defensive linemen to play on the team, but they were able to rush for over 1,000 yards both seasons. The defense led the Southwestern Athletic Conference in sacks in 2021 and had a top-ranked defense in 2022. Why is that important?
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The only 5-star offensive lineman Coach Prime recruited, Jordan Seaton, left the program for LSU and was asked why he left. And Seaton was honest about the situation, saying, "To see a more intense training environment, higher-level coaching, and better preparation for the NFL."
This directly refuted Sanders' claims about being the "33rd NFL team" with the most pro-level coaches in college football. Coach Prime's fans didn't like the idea and took to social media with opinions on the matter. However, Seaton wasn't the only player to leave the program. And in reality, Colorado has become a "transfer portal truck stop" since Sanders came to Boulder.
Numbers don't lie about the turnover. A total of 167 players have entered the portal since Sanders openly announced he was bringing his "Louis Luggage" in 2023. That's an average of 42 players or one-half of the roster count every year. Two of Sanders' castaways were in the top-40 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft. Jordyn Tyson went No. 8 overall to the New Orleans Saints, and Colton Hood was taken No. 37 in the second round to the New York Giants.
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More: Warren Sapp no longer on Deion Sanders' Colorado staff
Sanders tweeted out "Jordyn Tyson is Different" before the draft , but had nothing for Hood, who he actually coached in Boulder for a season. He also sent words of encouragment to Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia after going undrafted. Why not celebrate one of the highest picks to play at Colorado outside of the players who followed Sanders from Jackson State? This was a clear miss for a "NFL ready" program.
Seaton is projected to be a first-round pick next year. He also took heat from former CU defensive line coach Warren Sapp, who had an issue with the five-star talent speaking out against his former program. "(Sanders) let you know exactly what we expect of you, Sapp recently said on a podcast with Uncle Luke . "The grades, the classes, the study hall hours, and the film work every week. It will be done because that's what made him, him."
Sanders later followed up Sapp's words with his own during a Spring Practice press conference, saying the program wouldn't engage with former players. "Some of our past players have been commenting on us, which is cool with me," Sanders said . "We're not going to be provoked or coming back or say anything ignorantly back. I wish those guys the best."
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What's confusing is the message being sent by Sanders and Sapp. Are athletes supposed to shut up and leave without responding to questions? This is the other side of the "Prime Effect" sparked in Boulder. If Coach Prime and his staff are fostering the best environment, why are players leaving in droves? Also, they're all saying the same thing in different words. Former Colorado QB Ryan Staub recently told reporters, "In my three years of playing college football, I haven't had as much coaching as I've had in the first month that I've been here ( at Tennessee )."
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Say what you want, but this is very telling of what's happening with Sanders and the Buffs. At 3-9, Colorado must improve this season. Maybe we see a different approach with Coach Prime fueling up the jet and hitting the recruiting trail? Taking the same approach year after year will dry up the foundation of what's been established.
The Buffs football program has had over 100 years of NFL playing and coaching experience since he arrived in Boulder, and they have yet to make a conference championship appearance. Does that fall on the players or the coaches? We'll see what happens and if Sanders' can dig deep for a winning result or fall short of a bowl bid. Anything less than making the postseason will prompt several questions, and the first being: are we witnessing the beginning of the end of Sanders' tenure?
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