Colorado Safety Ben Finneseth Stresses What People Miss About Deion Sanders

Colorado safety Ben Finneseth opened up recently about nearly quitting football and how his role with the Buffaloes keeps growing in Boulder.

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos safety Ben Finneseth (28) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Colorado coach Deion Sanders has built a roster of transfers and some high-profile names, but some of the most important stories in Boulder still belong to the players who stuck around when the program changed in 2023.

Safety Ben Finneseth is one of those players, and his journey from walk-on to a scholarship player says a lot about the standard Coach Prime has built with the Colorado Buffaloes.

Ben Finneseth opens up

Jul 7, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA; Colorado defensive back Ben Finneseth speaks with reporters during Big 12 Conference Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Finneseth recently went on The Honour Podcast and spoke candidly about the lowest point of his college career. He said there was a time when he hated football, wanted to walk away and felt like he was the worst player on the team.

“I hated my life, I wanted to quit FB. I was the worst player on the team. Coach Prime saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself,” Finneseth said.

That kind of honesty is part of what has made Finneseth such a respected voice inside the program. He has never been the loudest player in the room, but he has become one of the ones people listen to.

Staying through the change

Colorado coach Deion Sanders leaves his team's huddle during timeout against Oregon in Eugene Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

When Coach Prime arrived in Boulder in late 2022, a lot of the roster turnover was immediate and dramatic. Finneseth understood what that meant. After the now-famous “bringing my luggage” meeting, he made a decision not to let himself be cut and not to walk away from the opportunity in front of him.

That mindset changed everything for him, as Finneseth has been around long enough to see the hard side of NIL and roster building. He became one of the few pre-Sanders holdovers to survive the transition. In an environment with constant competition, he kept his head down and kept working.

He earned more trust over time, first on special teams and then on defense. By the time the 2025 season rolled around, he had gone from walk-on to one of the Buffs’ more reliable role players.

Scholarship moment for Colorado Buffaloes

Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes running back Dallan Hayden (7) and safety Ben Finneseth (28) during the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Finneseth’s persistence paid off in a big way on April 19, 2025, when Coach Prime surprised him with a scholarship before Colorado’s annual Black & Gold spring game at Folsom Field. It was one of those moments that fit the emotional side of college football, that teammates and fans remembered long after the season ended.

Coach Prime praised him afterward with the kind of details that tell you a coach has noticed every rep.

“We got a few guys that work their butts off every day. They are full speed, they are 100 percent. They give everything they got in the classroom and on the field,” Sanders said.

That was the essence of Finneseth’s rise as he was rewarded for showing up and doing the work to become a player Coach Prime’s staff can trust.

Bigger role ahead

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos safety Ben Finneseth (28) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Finneseth’s on-field value kept growing as well. In 2024, he played in all 13 games and finished with 12 tackles while becoming a core special teams contributor. By 2026, he is expected to be even more involved as Colorado continues sorting out its secondary and leadership structure.

He has also started thinking about life after playing. On The Honour Podcast, Finneseth said that coaching has started to feel like a real path, especially after he became more involved in recruiting during the winter transfer portal cycle.

That makes sense for a player who has already spent years around the inner workings of a program. He has seen what makes Colorado tick under Coach Prime, and he understands how much communication and trust matter.

What it means for Colorado Buffaloes

Jul 7, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA; Colorado head coach Deion Sanders speaks to reporters during Big 12 Conference Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Finneseth’s story shows the type of character that Coach Prime values and the kind of culture Colorado has tried to build. The Buffs have had plenty of headlines since Sanders arrived, but a player like Finneseth has given the Colorado program proof that consistent hard work is still getting noticed.

Colorado still has many goals in front of them, but players like Finneseth help explain why the staff believes they can keep building. After coming in as a walk-on, he stayed through the chaos and turned himself into someone the coaching staff trusts on and off the field.

That is not a small thing with Coach Prime.

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