Coach Prime, Buffs Prep For Spring Game
April 17, 2023 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado's first spring game of the Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders era promises to be an event.
For starters, the game is sold out, a first in Buffaloes history. The scrimmage will be televised by ESPN — the only spring game in the nation to be covered by the network's flagship channel — and a number of highly ranked recruits are also scheduled to be on hand.
But odds are it will be even more than "just" a spring game. There have been all kinds of hints and teases in the social media world about possible celebrity appearances adding to Saturday's festivities — a distinct possibility given Sanders' seemingly unlimited connections.
But if Coach Prime knows about any such happenings on the table for Saturday, he didn't let on during his Monday press conference.
"I don't know about any celebrities, I don't really get into that," Sanders deadpanned. "They may call at the last minute. That's a blessing … But I do think Peggy (Coppom, one of the iconic CU twins) is going to kick off with me. That's the only person I really can't wait to see … and Ralphie."
But while the anticipation surrounding Saturday's spring game is no doubt bubbling approaching boiling, Coach Prime and his staff are also busily attending to the real business at hand:
Wrapping up spring practices on a high note, using Saturday's spring game as another recruiting springboard — and sifting through the transfer portal to continue the roster rebuilding process.
Sanders has made it clear that he and his staff are far from finished in regards to that process. While they are overall pleased with the progress the team has made this spring, Sanders has also made it clear he wants to continue replenishing the roster with new faces — which, of course, means that some current players have made the decision to seek new programs.
"We don't weed anyone out," Sanders said. "They weed themselves out. We don't make them quit … I don't want to say quit, they jump into the transfer portal. You call it what you want. It is what it is."
What "it is" has become the new norm in college football. When the NCAA approved transfer rules that allow players to move to another school without sitting out a year, it opened the door for what amounts to a mass migration every year.
But as more than one coach has said, the portal door swings both ways — and Sanders has opened the door to the Buffs' locker room.
"We're not trying to find anyone in the portal that's going to come and occupy space," Sanders said. "We're looking for go-getters. We're looking for family resurrection guys … We're looking for the (CU safety) Trevor Woods-type of guys that just want it, that love to play this game and embody it. Not just coming over here to eat three great meals a day and live comfortably for the length of a scholarship. We're not looking for that."
As for Saturday's spring game, Sanders and his staff want to give CU fans a taste of what the program could entail. Buffs faithful will (hopefully) see an offense that is operating at a rapid yet efficient pace and a defense that can make plays on the ball. Sanders has already significantly upgraded CU's overall roster talent, and the feeling is that improvement should be evident Saturday at Folsom Field.
"We just want to go out there and give them a glimpse of what the possibility is," Sanders said. "And they'll understand and they're going to help me articulate the needs."
But, Sanders added a qualifier:
"I don't want them to get misguided because what you see is not what you're gonna see. You heard that?," he said, thumping the table for emphasis. "What you see is not what you're going to see."
The product, Sanders has stressed, will be different by the time Colorado opens its season on Sept. 2 at TCU. Then, Sanders vowed, Buffs fans will see a true representation of CU football.
"I promise you when we go out there and play our first game you're going to be happy with the product that we place on the field for you," he said. "I promise you."
