Colorado University Athletics
Coach Prime's Buffs Open Spring Drills
March 19, 2023 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — "It's time."
Colorado coach Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders opened the first workout of the Prime Era on Sunday by making it clear that the time has come for the Buffaloes to rewrite their destiny.
No wasted effort, no shortcuts — and everything is earned. Invest your time, don't waste it. Seize the opportunity and make every moment count.
Once the message was delivered, Sanders and his staff put the Buffaloes through a fast-paced, spirited workout, a tempo Sanders believes will soon become second-nature to his squad — and a tempo he believes will serve the Buffs well when they hit the field next fall.
"We don't take breaks," Sanders said. "It's no idle feet and you can't walk between the lines. Everything is running. Everything is station to station, drill to drill … By the time we hit the field in game time, we'll have a tempo that is out of this world because that's the expectation of practice."
Sanders allowed the team to give themselves a grade after their opening workout.
"The kids gave themselves a 'C'," Sanders said. "They gave themselves a C because they felt like they could do better understanding the tempo, the the thought process, the commitment to excellence, the consistency just staying involved. That was a fast-paced practice. We got a lot of work done. Got a lot of reps. I'm excited. I really am excited about what I saw today. And they competed tremendously."
Sanders is instilling a sense of urgency because the Buffs have a long list of boxes to check. Offensive coordinator Sean Lewis and defensive coordinator Charles Kelly are installing new schemes and every position coach is new — meaning new techniques, new practice regimens and new terminologies.
Kelly's new offense is also the third system in as many years in college for quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who accompanied his father to Boulder when Coach Prime made the move from Jackson State.
But the younger Sanders appears to be quickly grasping the new concepts and is quickly developing a chemistry with his teammates — many of whom are new, but a few who made the move with him from JSU.
"We're going to focus in on every play," Sanders said. "One play at a time, go through my rules that coach taught me, go through my checklist. Know who the key reads are, go through progressions, everything like that. So that's what I was focusing on, every play today."
One receiver with whom Sanders is quite familiar is Travis Hunter, a two-way player who was one of the nation's top-rated prep defensive backs two years ago. While it's likely that Hunter will be lining up as a starting cornerback for the Buffs next fall, he's starting the spring by taking snaps on the offensive side of the ball.
"Travis could fall out of bed and cover," Coach Prime said. "He's a freak athlete. But he needs to learn everything about being a receiver because he's a natural DB and we play a lot of man. He has to learn to signals, he has to understand the route movement, the arms stand in tight to his body, shoulders over his knees. He has to learn everything about being a receiver so he's focusing a lot on receiver right now. And we're happy with his progress. He was phenomenal today."
Also already making an impression at wideout is transfer Jimmy Horn Jr., who made the move to Boulder from South Florida.
"The receiver room is competition every day," Shedeur said. "After the spring, it's gonna be more guys coming in. So it's just really just competing and building relationships right now."
Sanders had a spectacular season last year at JSU, completing more than 70 percent of his passes for 3,732 yards, 40 touchdowns and just six interceptions.
Now, said Coach Prime, he has to develop even more consistency as he moves up to a Power Five conference.
"It's understanding the nuances of the offense," Coach Prime said. "Getting to know the receivers. We have to get that consistency in their communication with all of the different receivers, that trust. He's a very accurate quarterback, but just understanding all the nuances of the offense and then incorporating what he does well."
Shedeur is well-versed in the pressure that comes with playing quarterback — as well as the pressure that comes with playing for his famous father. But to him, the pressure he puts on himself is far more important.
"It's more the pressure of competing against the world, competing against each other every day and every game," Shedeur said. "That's what real competition is. It's really in the game, knowing that each and every game there's a target on your back. You're going to want to come hard every single game."
NO NUMBERS: In his morning meeting with the players, Coach Prime notified them that their practice jerseys would not have numbers.
"You have to earn it," Sanders said. "I come from the place you have to earn what you get."
