After Two Practices, Coach Prime Excited About Buffs' Progress
March 20, 2024 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — After just two spring practices, Colorado's Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders is quite confident of one thing:
"We're going to win," Sanders told the media at a Wednesday press conference. "I know that. You know that. We're going to win."
Sanders' confidence is based on another revamped roster — his second in two seasons in Boulder — and a revamped coaching staff as well. Those improvements, he believes, are significant upgrades from the team that finished 4-8 last season and the team is "already ahead" of where the Buffs were in his first spring in Boulder.
Coach Prime and his staff were once again active in the transfer portal. They added a host of new linemen and skill position players on both sides of the ball, moves aimed specifically at improving areas in which the Buffs struggled last season — especially beefing up the offensive rushing attack and solidifying the run defense.
"We feel as though we addressed a multitude of the needs," Sanders said. We could use a little more depth at the linebacker position. But the guys, they're fighting their butts off right now. They're getting to the ball, they're doing what we need them to do."
And, Sanders once again made it clear that CU's roster will likely undergo more change before the Buffs hit the field for fall camp.
"We know what we still have coming," he said. "We know the situation that we're going to address. So I'm pretty good not just with the starters but the depth, because that's a tremendous asset that you need to play the amount of games that we plan on playing this year. It's not gonna be just 12."
One thing that has clearly caught Sanders' eye in the first two practices is the competitiveness on both sides of the ball, even without the team being in pads.
"There was a fight today, a good one, too," he said with a laugh. "I told them when the helmets come off you have to stop, but it was a good one. I don't advocate that but when it happens, you see they've got it. I liked that intensity. I don't like them to fight whatsoever, but I liked that intensity on a day that we're not even in pads."
Sanders is also pleased with the changes in his coaching staff. At least eight of his assistants either played or coached in the NFL, bringing an automatic level of respect from players who want to achieve the same thing.
"How can you tell somebody where to go if you haven't been there?" Sanders asked. "This is a show-me type of generation and prove-it-to-me generation. Let me see your credentials type of generation. So when you compose a staff that pretty much embodies the NFL and where they're directed to, that is phenomenal."
Last year's finish was clearly a solid step forward for a program that finished 1-11 the prior season. The Buffs reached the nation's top 25 early in the season, beat one ranked team and two rivals, and five of their losses were one-score games.
But Sanders is now confident the team is ready to step up to the next level as the Buffs make their return to the Big 12.
"I knew what we had, I knew what we didn't have (last year)," Sanders said. "I think truly we could have put them in better situations to be successful. I think everybody, including staff, wasn't built for the noise. What I mean by the noise, everybody's not built for the moment. You got to understand. We took the moment to the greatest height and we plan on doing that again, but everybody's not built for that stage. That stage comes with tremendous responsibility. And you gotta get young men that are used to that and committed to that and want it and relish that opportunity to be on that stage. You have to have those types of guys. The goal is to get eight dogs on the side of the ball that you know what you're gonna get on Saturday. And we got some guys that I'm happy about."
SHEDEUR READY TO ROLL: Sanders said his son, starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders, is fully healed from a broken bone in his back, an injury suffered late last year.
Coach Prime also had a message for those who wondered where his son might have fit into this year's NFL Draft had he elected to make himself eligible.
"Let's just get this straight — Shedeur would have been a high draft pick this year," he said. "Let's just stop the foolishness … Don't you think I know people in the NFL? I played for 14 year, got a (Hall of Fame) gold jacket at the crib. I think I know some people in the game. I'm throwing stuff based on knowledge. So let's just get that straight. If Shedeur would have gone into the draft this year, he wouldn't have been the first quarterback off the board. I think he had the ability, but he probably would have been the second quarterback off the board. Let's just get that straight."
EXCITED ABOUT LOADHOLT: Sanders is already impressed with new O-line coach Phil Loadholt, who is in his first job as an on-field coach after serving several years as an analyst at other schools.
"When we met, he came to the interview ready and prepared about what he could add to the room," Sanders said. "He just had a commanding presence. Not just his size, but his relatability to the young men in today's game, as well as his ability to recruit. He checked every box and then some. Now to see him at work, to see how they respond to him, to see how attentive he is, and how detail oriented he is, he's a gem. Thank God we got him because he is unbelievable and those guys work their butts off for him and he holds them accountable."
NEW RULE: Sanders is pleased with a new rule that will allow coaches to communicate directly with the quarterback and a linebacker on the field via a helmet radio.
That, he said, will be a boon for coaches.
"It's going to be tremendous," he said. "Much better communication. That's going to help tremendously. I wish it was several guys on each side of the ball."
SPRING GAME: The Buffs' April 27 spring game likely won't be televised on ESPN this year because it comes at the same time of the third day of the NFL Draft.
But, Sanders said there's still a possibility that Fox or the Pac-12 Network will televise the event.
"We're waiting to see what they're going to do so we can announce this thing and get these tickets sold out," he said. "We're going to sell out the spring game."
UPCOMING SCHEDULE: The Buffs will practice again Friday, then take next week off for spring break before resuming workouts the week of April 1.
Sanders said Friday's workout will likely be in pads, the first such practice of the spring.
"I think we'll pad it up Friday because I think you have two practices, then you hit each other," he said. "I know what's gonna go down Friday. I really do. We might have to have the police out there Friday because it's going down. I promise you that. These guys are a little different."
