Colorado Practice Reveals New Receiver Injury Concern For Deion Sanders

As spring practice gets underway for the Colorado Buffaloes’ new-look wide receiver room, it has suffered a number of injuries to crucial players.

Nov 29, 2025; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders looks on during the second quarter against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

The Colorado Buffaloes and coach Deion Sanders brought in a new offensive coordinator in Brennan Marion and revamped the wide receiver room during the offseason, but injuries have thrown a wrench in their spring development plans.

At Tuesday’s press conference, CU’s wide receiver coaches Jason Phillips and Rashad Davis spoke about the condition of the wide receiver room and the progress it has made during spring practice. But it wasn’t all good news, as they acknowledged the setback that injuries to multiple key players have caused.

Nov 29, 2025; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders looks on during the second quarter against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

“Once we get a couple guys off crutches and whatnot, we should have a solid group,” Phillips said.

Hykeem Williams

Coach Phillips broke the news that promising junior wide receiver Hykeem Williams sustained a recent injury in practice that has likely ended his spring season. 

“He was coming along pretty well before the injury he sustained in practice a couple of weeks ago,” Phillips said. “I feel bad for him because he was understanding what he needed to do in order to help us be successful offensively.”

Williams also saw his 2025 regular season cut short due to an undisclosed injury.

“Hopefully, we get a positive prognosis and get him back as quickly as possible,” Phillips said.

Joseph Williams & DeAndre Moore Jr.

Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Joseph Williams (8) celebrates after catching a pass for a touchdown during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Colorado’s best returning receiver from the 2025 season, Joseph Williams, has also been battling injury throughout spring camp. Additionally, Colorado’s highest-rated wide receiver transfer, DeAndre Moore Jr., has also missed time this spring.

The pair is expected to be among, if not the primary targets for star redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Lewis in Marion’s ‘Go-Go’ offense in 2026. Therefore, installing the offense without them in spring practice is inherently limiting to the product that unit can produce early on.

However, coach Davis spoke about the duo in a similar vein, as he noted that they’ve both gone above and beyond to improve in any way they can, despite not being on the field.

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos graduate assistant Rashad Davis (left) alongside wide receivers coach Jason Phillips against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“That was one of the things, when we went out in the portal, we wanted to bring in a guy who symbolized leadership…that’s who we see in DeAndre,” Davis said. “...We’re seeing Joseph Williams follow on in that same aspect…coming up every day, getting into his playbook…he knows he can’t be out there physically, but he’s getting those mental reps in.”

Davis said they’ve approached him and his fellow coaches after practices, asking, “Coach, what can I do?”

Their pursuit of improvement, despite missing valuable on-field reps, bodes well for their ability to quickly integrate into the offense after recovering from their respective injuries.

Tagert Bardin 

The Buffaloes have also been without walk-on sophomore receiver Tagert Bardin for much of the spring season. Although he’s yet to contribute in a game, he’s reaching a crucial point in his career in terms of development and making a scholarship push. This makes his inability to practice an even more damaging setback.

Despite the injuries, the staff has been impressed by the new-look receiver group. Though they are still unsure what to expect, they’ve seen early flashes of potential stardom in their newcomers.

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos wide receivers coach Jason Phillips against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“Right now, I don’t know what [I] expect from this group, considering the number of injuries we’ve sustained,” Philips said. “...[But] the fact that we brought in some guys with experience and speed, also the ‘Go-Go’ offense, you’re going to see something totally different.”

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