The Deion Sanders train is barreling ahead full steam at the University of Colorado, with excitement building for the upcoming 2024 CFB season. However, the excitement hit a snag with the 2024 NFL draft, as not a single CU player was selected by any NFL team for the third consecutive year. Even Coach Prime couldn’t help but feel concerned. But fear not! Sanders still has a few standout players in mind who could make waves in next year’s draft.
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As the spring game wrapped up, Deion Sanders, in a recent interview with Guy Haberman, discussed the latest roster updates and the outlook for the upcoming season. The Colorado head man didn’t hold back his thoughts following the latest treatment of Buffalo players in this year’s draft, boldly declaring that he’s got three players on his current roster who could start for any team in the country after being drafted in the 2025 NFL draft.
“DJ (McKinney), Preston (Hodge), and Travis (Hunter), shoot! We got three corners that can start anywhere in the country. That are guys that are propelled to the NFL as soon as they finish their eligibility. Those guys can get down,” Coach Prime said.
Deion Sanders is feeling optimistic about the Buffs this year after an abysmal debut season in 2023. He even mentioned that he’s got four safeties in mind who can also “bang” when their moment arrives. Moreover, Coach Prime confidently added that he’s bringing in more, and more talent to Boulder before the season kicks off.
That being said, Xavier Weaver, Jordan Dominick, Rodrick Ward, Kavosiey Smoke, and the rest of the Colorado football squad were left hanging, as their names weren’t called in the 2024 NFL draft.
This tough break set an unwanted record for the program, as for the third year straight, not a single player from the University of Colorado made the NFL draft cut. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, marking the first time since 1936 that the Buffs were sidelined on draft day for so long.
A Realistic View of How Deion Sanders’ CU Transformation Could Reflect on the 2025 NFL Draft
As the initial group of players navigates a bumpy road toward their NFL dreams, it marks a promising beginning for Coach Prime and the University of Colorado’s aspirations. It is similar to considering the marketing strategies of football powerhouses like Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, and Michigan, all of which have a vision beyond Saturday games.
Deion Sanders aims to transform CU into a new powerhouse, one capable of sending multiple players to the NFL within the first two rounds. It’s a bold vision, but with Sanders at the helm, the Buffs are poised for greatness.
As of now, a total of 12 Colorado alums are playing in the big league, with five of them starting for their respective teams. This tally, however, is likely to change as two-way sensation Travis Hunter and QB sensation Shedeur Sanders are expected to get picked up in the first round of the 2025 draft. Safety Jimmy Horn Jr., Shilo Sanders, and rising stars like Tyler Johnson are also in contention. Thus, fans can await the big day with bated breath, and perhaps the team will make history by having a record-breaking number of players drafted.
It’s true that players don’t define programs; coaches do. If Sanders can mold Colorado into the next Alabama, Oklahoma, or Ohio State, the top NIL earners won’t matter as much. When there’s a proven track record of players making NFL millions, talent will naturally gravitate towards Boulder.
