Buffs Beat

Former Colorado standout questions if Deion Sanders and staff are "right fits" for the job

Coach Prime has a great deal to prove with the Buffs going to the Big 12 in 2024
Josh Tolle|
Oct 7, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks the sidelines as his team takes on the ASU Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium.
Oct 7, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks the sidelines as his team takes on the ASU Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY

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Colorado Buffaloes

Former Colorado running back Phillip Lindsay spent time discussing the state of the Buffs going into the 2024 college football season. The co-host of "The Drive" on Denver Sports pointed out a few interesting storylines with Deion Sanders and his staff. He even touched on both of CU's playmakers with the possibility of this being a great year.

“This may be (Sanders’) last opportunity with this much attention,” Lindsay said. “If he strikes gold on this opportunity this year with the players that he has in here, his son (Shedeur Sanders) being a first round draft pick, Travis Hunter being a first round draft pick, it can be very special. But it’s not going to come down to those players; it’s going to come down to the coaching."

Lindsay even called out the rest of the Denver media for giving Coach Prime a pass for his shortcomings in coaching. He referenced Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and the criticism over a lack of effort this past fall.

“We criticized Sean Payton last year for some of the things he did on the coaching side of it,” Lindsay said. “And there should have been a lot of criticism for Coach Prime and what he brought to the table as a coach in certain situations. That has to get better. And then it’s the unknown of your offensive and defensive coordinators. Are they the right fits for the job?”


Colorado goes into year two under Sanders with another roster turnover via the transfer portal. This comes off a 4-8 record last season that ended on a six-game losing streak. While Sean Lewis and Charles Kelly left for better opportunities, the Buffs lost games due to poor clock management and bad decisions.

Sanders is hoping Pat Shurmur and Robert Livingston can use their NFL experience to advance on both sides of the ball. While Shurmur will let Shedeur Sanders cook on offense, Livingston will be more hands on with the defense and his 4-2-5 hybrid scheme. Colorado opens the season at Folsom Field against FCS powerhouse North Dakota State on Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. ET.

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Josh Tolle
JOSH TOLLE

Josh Tolle is a writer covering college sports for On SI. Outside of storytelling, the multi-talented broadcaster has play-by-play experience at the professional and collegiate levels. In 2018, he began calling games for the National Women’s Soccer League. He has also called games for the United Soccer League, Concacaf, and the U.S. Open Cup. He has called hockey for the Premier Hockey Federation for the past three seasons and was the play-by-play voice for the Superior RoughRiders of the Western Hockey League. He has provided play-by-play for various other sports including football, basketball, baseball and volleyball events. Since 2015, Tolle has been the voice of Colorado School of Mines Athletics having called football, men's and women's basketball and soccer. He previously wrote for SB Nation.

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