Deion Sanders Hints At Colorado's Transfer Portal Priorities

Year one without a son or a Heisman Trophy winner went sideways for coach Deion Sanders.

The onslaught his Colorado Buffaloes have faced in 2025 mercifully ends this Saturday. Then, it's time to swab the deck, but where does he start?

"Coach Prime" and his crew felt disconnected, disorganized and ultimately withered after a noisy first bye week. But struggles stemmed from a defense that lacked the talent to compete in the Power Four.

Deion Sanders Aims To Rebuild Defense

Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders on the sidelines in the first quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Sanders acknowledged these shortcomings in his final weekly press conference of the regular season.

"You're going to do what you're capable of doing to heal some woes that you have, and a lot of that is up front," Sanders told reporters on Tuesday. "A lot of that is on the defensive side of the ball ... Linebacker. We've got some youngsters coming in the secondary that I can't wait to see. So, we know what direction we wanna go, and we're gonna get there."

The averages are putrid. Colorado has surrendered the most yards per game in the Big 12 while sitting at 14th of 16 in points allowed.

While middle-of-the-pack against the pass, stopping the run has been calculus for defensive coordinator Robert Livingston's front. The Buffs give up nearly 30 rush yards per game more than the next-worst group.

Buffs' D-Line Takes A Drubbing

Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive line assistant coach Domata Peko before the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Colorado led its conference in sacks last season, but the loss of a leader in defensive end BJ Green proved costly. The line only has 13 with one game left compared to 39 in 2024.

Its overall talent didn't nosedive, leading many to believe the Buffs' line could repeat its pass-rushing prominence entering 2025. Colorado focused on the interior, adding three buiserweights in Jeheim Oatis, Tavian Coleman and Gavriel Lightfoot through the transfer portal. And yet, teams did respect its run fits.

Oatis flopped, Lightfoot was injured and Coleman was a combination of both. The subtractions left either freshmen or worse-equipped leftovers from poor defenses past to carry the load. No one should be surprised at the result.

Some blame falls on coaching as well, as beloved defensive line assistant Damione Lewis departed in favor of Domata Peko, a proven player but unproven coach. In his only other coaching stint before Colorado, Peko coached another line that lagged up front with the Dallas Cowboys.

Still, a productive portal window is vital. Sanders can't wait but acknowledged his misfires have heightened his attention to detail throughout the process.

"I'm not making excuses by any means, but I missed a little bit of that," Sanders said. "I really look forward to it. Meeting with those guys, interviewing those guys, making sure that their countenance, their desire, their want, that fire matches with what we have here, or can enhance what we have here.

"It's like a dating game, you've got to sit there and make sure. Just because a guy's a dawg, that doesn't mean you bring him in, because a dawg could mess up your yard."

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Promising Pillars

Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive end Brandon Davis-Swain (91) hurries Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) in the second quarter at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Fortunately for Sanders, these changes won't be a platoon swap. With no defensive line commits in Colorado's current 2026 class, he must retain youngsters who could congeal a line poised for rearrangement through the portal. Starting defensive ends Arden Walker and Keaten Wade are set to graduate.

Defensive end London Merritt has made waves as a true freshman, a tenacious pass rusher with the muscle to blow up rushes. The former Ohio State Buckeye pledge looks like Coach Prime's best commitment flip other than quarterback Julian Lewis. His IMG Academy running mate, Alexander McPherson, also flashed potential off the edge.

Brandon Davis-Swain is a versatile piece of Colorado's line who broke through as a redshirt freshman. He tallied 1.5 sacks and 15 total tackles after little action last season.

In other areas, safeties Tawfiq Byard and Antonio Branch Jr. should see extensive action in the future, while linebacker commit Carson Crawford may see the field sooner rather than later. The Buffs will also hope cornerback DJ McKinney returns for another year, though he was honored on Senior Day. Either way, every defensive position group will see extensive renovations for 2026.