What Pac-12 coaches said about Deion Sanders’ first year at Colorado

Less than a week after Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes (4-8) concluded their 2023 season, one can’t help but question where things went wrong. After starting out 3-0 with impressive non-conference wins over CFB National Championship game runner-up TCU, Nebraska, and Colorado State, the Buffaloes stumbled across the finish line losing eight of their last nine games.

The Athletic published an article on Wednesday, written by David Ubben, Bruce Feldman, and Justin Williams, in which six Pac-12 coordinators and assistant coaches spoke anonymously about Sanders’ first year in Boulder. Highlights from the article included an assessment of the players brought in this season, the offensive line struggles that plagued the Buffaloes, and reactions to offensive coordinator Sean Lewis’ mid-season demotion.

Here are some of the more notable excerpts from The Athletic article.

On the roster-building prior to the 2023 season:

“They were loading up on all these skill players, but they weren’t getting great players on the line,” said a Pac-12 assistant. “Offensive line-wise, they didn’t take a single coveted guy out of the portal.”

On the Buffaloes offensive line struggles and quarterback Shedeur Sanders getting sacked 52 times:

Said another Pac-12 assistant: “They were horrible on the front. They couldn’t protect (Shedeur). He was getting massacred in our game. It’s really hard to do anything when you can’t block anybody.”

“They have a lot of speed outside, and their receivers were just as good as anyone we played. It was really just that the offensive line was so overmatched and they didn’t have a tight end at all,” said another Pac-12 assistant. “Not having a tight end who can block was a bigger deal than a lot of people think. That really hurts an offense. They didn’t have any answers in protection because of that.”

Regarding Coach Prime’s decision to relieve OC Sean Lewis of play-calling duties mid-season:

“That was embarrassing. … If I’m Sean Lewis, I’m outta there on the first opportunity,” said one assistant. That coach said that Shedeur’s propensity to hold on to the ball didn’t always fit with Lewis’s quick-release tempo system, causing a rift. That coach also said that when his team faced Colorado, after a three-and-out by the Buffs, he saw Lewis try to get Shedeur’s attention but Shedeur “pushed (Lewis) off and went to the other side of the field.”

“A lot of OCs will be hesitant to come into Colorado now seeing what Sean Lewis did,” the assistant continued. “People were talking about him as a head coach candidate after Week 4, and for you to demote him? That’s telling.”

Lewis recently accepted the head coaching position at San Diego State. Buffaloes Tight Ends Coach Tim Brewster left at season’s end for a role with the Charlotte 49ers. Perhaps the most impactful words within The Athletic’s article came when the coaches were asked whether the Buffaloes would improve in Year two under Coach Prime.

Said one coach: “It’s gonna get dark for Colorado.”

Next month will be very telling for Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes. The winter transfer portal window opens Dec. 4, while the early signing period takes place Dec. 20-22. Regarding his second offseason, Sanders and his staff are hard at work filling needs as their prepare for Colorado’s return to the Big 12 Conference.

“You’re gonna be pleased with what’s coming. I promise you that” Sanders told reporters.