University of Colorado Athletics
Buffs 'Right Where We Want To Be' As Opener Week Nears
August 25, 2026 | Football
BOULDER, Colo. — Nine days out from the season opener at Georgia Tech (6 p.m. MT Thursday, Sept. 3, ESPN), Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders took stock of his fourth fall camp Monday and liked the math — the leadership, the depth chart, the timeline, all of it.
"We had a team scout report," Coach Prime said. "We have stages. We have deadlines. We have points that we got to hit. We right where we want to be. Everything is on the timeline, and we're going to hit those marks strategically."
Notes from his Monday media availability:
Kicking battle is live
The specialist room has one of camp's remaining open competitions, and Coach Prime is enjoying it.
"We got a kicking battle going on right now," Coach Prime said. "Who's going to be the field goal guy? So that's pretty special, and I can't wait to see how that plays out."
Banana pudding and a fourth-year bond
Asked where he has grown the most entering his fourth camp in Boulder, Coach Prime pointed away from the football.
"Spending more time and getting to know the players a lot more intimately — not just the football, just the likes and dislikes," Coach Prime said. "One of my players brought me some banana pudding. It's like that was his way of saying, 'Coach, we good.' "
He closed the thought the way he often does: "And I love them. I love them to life."
Pressure on the back half of the depth chart
Saturday's scrimmage was designed with the depth chart's margins in mind.
"We're putting pressure on them, applying pressure — especially this past weekend, that Saturday scrimmage, we applied pressure on some that we may need in case of emergency in the game," Coach Prime said. "You pretty much at this point in time know what your ones are going to do. We got to know what that guy is going to do that's between that two and that three... that four may have to get in in case of emergency injury. So we put them up to test."
Leaders setting the standard
With 43 transfers on the roster, Coach Prime pointed to a leadership group identified long ago — and to a number those leaders chose themselves. Asked how many hours of film study the team should log before boarding the plane, the players set the bar at a minimum of three, tracked through the film system.
"That film time is recorded, and it goes upstairs, and we know what time you log on and you log off," Coach Prime said. "But they chose at least three hours, and I like that. I like that leadership from the young men."
Keeping it simple for Lewis
Coach Prime declined to pile expectations onto quarterback Julian Lewis, keeping the job description short.
"The one thing I don't want to do is put added pressure on that position," Coach Prime said. "There's enough from the outside noise and all thereof. I just want him to execute the play that's called. You don't have to be great. You don't have to be outstanding, but just do what we ask you to do, and he's going to do that. I have faith in that."
The support system around Lewis is rounding into form, too. Coach Prime said he expects the full receiver rotation back on the practice field by midweek — "I can't wait to see them all on the field together" — to go with a backfield and offensive line he trusts.
High praise up front
The offensive line drew Monday's boldest projection.
"Those guys in the front are the narrative that changes the run game — the guys in front of them, not those guys back there," Coach Prime said. "We've always had those guys back there that can run, but those guys up there got to do their jobs, and they're big, strong and physical enough to do their jobs. It's a couple of those guys, maybe a few of those guys, probably going to come out of there All-Americans or Big 12 first-team players, to me, with what I see at practice every day."
Buffs balling beyond Boulder
Coach Prime opened Monday by saluting the rest of the athletic department — a 3-0 soccer team ranked No. 7 nationally with road matches ahead at Western Michigan and Michigan State, and a volleyball team that opens its season Friday at the Buffs Classic, with a 6 p.m. first match at Cal State Northridge.
He then ran through the pros: by his count, 20 former Buffs are on NFL rosters through the second week of preseason play, and he name-checked a handful — Will Sheppard in Green Bay, LaJohntay Wester, Jimmy Horn Jr.'s big plays in Carolina, Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig's four tackles for Jacksonville, Preston Hodge, an interception by Isaiah Oliver, punt returns from Xavier Weaver and a sack by Amari McNeill.
The matchup
As for the opener itself, Coach Prime sees a fun one.
"It's a great matchup, it really is, because we're doing primarily the same thing they're doing," Coach Prime said. "It's going to be a good task... It's a good match, really is."
The Buffs practice the morning of their Tuesday departure for Atlanta, with a walkthrough to follow on arrival.
"I'm comfortable with what we're going to Atlanta with," Coach Prime said. "I really am."
"We had a team scout report," Coach Prime said. "We have stages. We have deadlines. We have points that we got to hit. We right where we want to be. Everything is on the timeline, and we're going to hit those marks strategically."
Notes from his Monday media availability:
Kicking battle is live
The specialist room has one of camp's remaining open competitions, and Coach Prime is enjoying it.
"We got a kicking battle going on right now," Coach Prime said. "Who's going to be the field goal guy? So that's pretty special, and I can't wait to see how that plays out."
Banana pudding and a fourth-year bond
Asked where he has grown the most entering his fourth camp in Boulder, Coach Prime pointed away from the football.
"Spending more time and getting to know the players a lot more intimately — not just the football, just the likes and dislikes," Coach Prime said. "One of my players brought me some banana pudding. It's like that was his way of saying, 'Coach, we good.' "
He closed the thought the way he often does: "And I love them. I love them to life."
Pressure on the back half of the depth chart
Saturday's scrimmage was designed with the depth chart's margins in mind.
"We're putting pressure on them, applying pressure — especially this past weekend, that Saturday scrimmage, we applied pressure on some that we may need in case of emergency in the game," Coach Prime said. "You pretty much at this point in time know what your ones are going to do. We got to know what that guy is going to do that's between that two and that three... that four may have to get in in case of emergency injury. So we put them up to test."
Leaders setting the standard
With 43 transfers on the roster, Coach Prime pointed to a leadership group identified long ago — and to a number those leaders chose themselves. Asked how many hours of film study the team should log before boarding the plane, the players set the bar at a minimum of three, tracked through the film system.
"That film time is recorded, and it goes upstairs, and we know what time you log on and you log off," Coach Prime said. "But they chose at least three hours, and I like that. I like that leadership from the young men."
Keeping it simple for Lewis
Coach Prime declined to pile expectations onto quarterback Julian Lewis, keeping the job description short.
"The one thing I don't want to do is put added pressure on that position," Coach Prime said. "There's enough from the outside noise and all thereof. I just want him to execute the play that's called. You don't have to be great. You don't have to be outstanding, but just do what we ask you to do, and he's going to do that. I have faith in that."
The support system around Lewis is rounding into form, too. Coach Prime said he expects the full receiver rotation back on the practice field by midweek — "I can't wait to see them all on the field together" — to go with a backfield and offensive line he trusts.
High praise up front
The offensive line drew Monday's boldest projection.
"Those guys in the front are the narrative that changes the run game — the guys in front of them, not those guys back there," Coach Prime said. "We've always had those guys back there that can run, but those guys up there got to do their jobs, and they're big, strong and physical enough to do their jobs. It's a couple of those guys, maybe a few of those guys, probably going to come out of there All-Americans or Big 12 first-team players, to me, with what I see at practice every day."
Buffs balling beyond Boulder
Coach Prime opened Monday by saluting the rest of the athletic department — a 3-0 soccer team ranked No. 7 nationally with road matches ahead at Western Michigan and Michigan State, and a volleyball team that opens its season Friday at the Buffs Classic, with a 6 p.m. first match at Cal State Northridge.
He then ran through the pros: by his count, 20 former Buffs are on NFL rosters through the second week of preseason play, and he name-checked a handful — Will Sheppard in Green Bay, LaJohntay Wester, Jimmy Horn Jr.'s big plays in Carolina, Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig's four tackles for Jacksonville, Preston Hodge, an interception by Isaiah Oliver, punt returns from Xavier Weaver and a sack by Amari McNeill.
The matchup
As for the opener itself, Coach Prime sees a fun one.
"It's a great matchup, it really is, because we're doing primarily the same thing they're doing," Coach Prime said. "It's going to be a good task... It's a good match, really is."
The Buffs practice the morning of their Tuesday departure for Atlanta, with a walkthrough to follow on arrival.
"I'm comfortable with what we're going to Atlanta with," Coach Prime said. "I really am."
Players Mentioned
Monday, August 24
Monday, August 24
Monday, August 24
Thursday, August 20