Deion Sanders Shuts Down 'Distraction' Narrative Around Ongoing Subpoena, His Sons

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders shut down narratives surrounding his ongoing subpoena and his sons Shilo and Shedeur Sanders in his Monday presser.

Deion Sanders spends time with his son, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) at the conclusion of the second day of training camp, July 30, 2026, in Berea, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders took to the podium on Monday for a press conference, and he was asked about a variety of serious topics, such as his ongoing subpoena and defensive lineman Ezra Christensen's eligibility.

He shut down certain narratives surrounding those topics and provided updates on his team's preparation for its Week 1 matchup against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Here's a look at everything Coach Prime said during his Monday presser.

What Deion Sanders said:

Opening Statement:

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

“Right now, 20 players on NFL rosters through the second week of preseason play. [Will] Sheppard did his thing forGreen Bay against Denver. LaJohntay [Wester], definitely one of my favorites. Florida boy doing his thing. Jimmy Horn, also another one of my favorites, had big plays for Carolina, including a 39-yard run. Cam had four tackles. Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig for Jacksonville. Preston [Hodge] made a quarterback hit,” Sanders said. 

“Isaiah Oliver, I have no idea who that is; he’s from before my time. Had an interception. He’s still a CU guy, so I got love for him. Weave [Xavier Weaver], Weave, love me some Weave. He returned a couple punts. Amari McNeil got a sack. Go ahead, Amari. And we all know what's transpired with Shedeur; all know he's playing extremely well.”

His ongoing subpoena, Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders

Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders yells at Jackson State safety Shilo Sanders (21) on the sideline in the Southern Heritage Classic between Tennessee State University and Jackson State University at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“Is that a distraction? Do you think that's my first distraction? Like when you have it, you him, and you that, you get sued. You have off-the-field foolishness, that if someone really sat down and explained it to you, you'd say, ‘you got to be kidding.’ But it is what it is. I don't know anyone that's a game changer, a waymaker, that's not dealing with some type of lawsuit. Shilo and Shedeur ain't done nothing wrong,” Sanders said.

“You know Shilo won this case previously, right? Anybody know that? Raise your hand if you know that. If you knew that, Shilo got awarded money for this. Okay, just read. Check it out. I can't wait till it is over and he gets to tell his story. He already won this case, you know,” Sanders said.

Ezra Christensen’s eligibility case and returning players

Aggie defensive lineman Ezra Christensen tackles the Bearkat quarterback for a loss during a Thursday night game against Sam Houston at Aggie Memorial Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's going to come quickly. Certainly, we'd like to have several guys that played prior with us that are eligible; I think Buck [Buchanan] is one, [Alejandro] Mata may be another, and a couple others. But you know, we have people in place to do that job, and Fernando [Lovo] is on it, as well as other persons from this university. We're going to do the right thing, as long as Georgia Tech don't have any players that's activated. We're good,” Sanders said.

Where he’s grown the most as a coach and connecting with transfers

Deion Sanders takes in the second day of Cleveland Browns training camp, July 30, 2026, in Berea, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“Spending more time and getting to know the players a lot more intimately-not just the football, just the likes and dislikes. One of my players brought me some banana pudding. It's like that was his way of saying, ‘Coach, we good?’ So I'm getting to know them a lot more. They getting to know me a lot more because of it,” Sanders said.

“The cycle of people transitioning from the portal. It's not just us. I mean, I think the least team we already quantified that a few weeks ago. It's like at least 20 players, so it's a lot of players, no matter what. But just getting to know these young men and their likes and dislikes and who they really are away from the game-that's pleasing to me. It really is, and I and I love them. I love them to life,” Sanders said.

Gunnar White’s work in the 2027 recruiting class

Recruit Dewey Young of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was in attendance at the Ohio State football game against Minnesota at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on Oct. 4, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“I think I just got more involved than I previously been, and I previously have been, and we just took more onus on what we wanted. I set the vision, attacked what we wanted, and split the areas; obviously, Gunnar coming up in Mississippi, that's his zone. Some coaches do it differently. You know, they got certain areas. I don't want a DB coach in Mississippi talking to a lineman. Don't make no sense,” Sanders said.

“You don't know if he's good or not. You see the practice there, ‘Well, he looks good,’ no, he was big. You don't know if he looked good. So we send guys out where the class of talent is and make sure the measurables and everything else fits. And then when they make it through, like three of our staff members, they come in, and I get to interrogate them a little bit and see if they could cut it and they've done a great job,” Sanders said.

“Because we're going to have guys decommit, that happens. To have other guys commit that you didn't think about, that we already knew we had but we never said anything about, that's just the game of recruiting nowadays. Don't think that money is not a factor because it is with a lot of these kids,” Sanders said.

“I’m not new to Gunnar's work. Gunnar came from Jackson with us. You guys are new to Gunnar's work. I'm not new to who Gunnar is and why he's on the coaching staff as the offensive line coach, like Gunnar, he's been the same guy since the day I met him,” Sanders said.

The growth he’s seen from his players since the spring

“I don't know about leaps; I think they're just getting to understand the system that they're implemented in, and thought process of what we want and how they're going to go about obtaining it. They know us better. We know them better. So we're meeting. We're meeting where we need to meet. We're putting pressure on them, applying pressure, especially this past weekend,” Sanders said.

“In that Saturday scrimmage, we applied pressure on some that we may need in case of emergency in the game. At this point in time, you know what your ones are going to do. We've got to know what that guy is going to do. That's between that two and that three because that three is probably gonna get in, I mean the three and that four, I'm sorry. That four may have to get in in case of emergency or injury. So we we put them up to test,” Sanders said.

Emerging leaders

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

“Well, we took over 20 leaders to to Texas with us. So those guys that we identified way back when they hadn't fallen off. They're still doing the job. They're still out in front and handling their responsibilities and leading these young men in the right direction. It's something as simple as, I asked this morning, ‘How many hours should we get in before we get on that plane next Tuesday?’” Sanders said. 

“They said, ‘Well, two days prior to that, we should have three hours at least- the minimum is three hours of study film time,’ and that film time is recorded, and it goes upstairs, and we know what time you get on and log on, you log off. But they chose at least three hours, and I like that leadership from the young men,” Sanders said.

Julian Lewis’ development

Jul 7, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA; Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis 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

“The thing about that, no matter what I say, you're gonna have an opinion. So sometimes I correct, sometimes I protect, sometimes I tell you the truth. I tell you the truth all the time. So I'm not gonna put too much on it. Then there's an expectation that exceeds what he's maybe capable of doing, or he's already there, and you just don't know,” Sanders said.

 “One thing I don't want to do is add pressure on that position. There's enough from the outside noise and all thereof. I just want him to execute to play this call. Don't have to be great. You don't have to be outstanding. Just do what we ask you to do, and he's gonna do that. I have faith in that,” Sanders said.

“I've seen development in everyone. Don't just try to back me into a corner and back me in about Julian. Were you out there practice? What did you see? Write that. We good. Write that. Run with that. High-step with that. Put the hand behind the head with that,” Sanders said.

Player development without a spring portal window

“I love what I see. Been telling you guys that I'm proud of what I see. I'm happy with what I see. I'm happy with the coaching staff for sure. You guys neglect that. Like you keep thinking kids, kids, kids, kids, kids. Like the coaching staff is phenomenal, man.

“We have better players. We have better players. That's what makes you farther along. You can hang out for a year, but if we ain't tight like that, it still ain't going to be no click there. We got better players. We got better individuals that that can really do the jobs. That's what makes it better. Not being ebony and ivory and saying it like we live together in perfect harmony. We got us some ball players, man.”

“I have no nostalgia. I'm not built like that. If we went back to Fort Myers, Florida, I would be happy. That's my hometown. But this is a game, man, that I want to win very badly, so I don't weigh cities. That city had some meaningful moments, but I don't weigh cities. We going there for one purpose: that's to win, whether I played there or not,” Sanders said.

The Colorado Buffaloes’ preparation for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Members of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets line up across from the Colorado Buffaloes in the first quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“We have a scout report. We have stages, we have deadlines, we have points that we got to hit. We're right where we want to be. I like where we are, and we're right where we want to be. Everything is on the timeline, and we're going to hit those marks strategically, and we're going to practice that morning. Then we leave, have another walkthrough probably when we get there. So we're going to get our work in,” Sanders said.

“That's the main thing: just getting the work in, and not making things too complicated where the kids have to think too much. Let them play football and have fun while they're doing what they do,” Sanders said.

Taking the pressure off of Julian Lewis

Apr 11, 2026; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) rushes with the ball during the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Tremendously important, tremendously important, tremendously important, man. That's because you're not looking for leadership, you're not looking for this, you're not looking for that. All we're looking for is to execute the plays, throw the ball to the man that's open. We're good. Move down the field. We have a really good coordinator. We have a really good offensive line. We have some really good backs, and Danny and the guys will be back,” Sanders said. 

“Promise you that they'll be back out wide, so it's going to be familiar territory. And I can't wait to see them all on the field together. That'll happen probably by Wednesday or Thursday, hopefully, all of them, because I got to see a week's worth of work before I could really bet on it, understand that I could place this on the field and not worry about them,” Sanders said.

“You know, it means tearing a hammy or groin or an ankle or something crazy. Getting a shoulder- we got a couple with shoulder injuries. We got to get past that some type of way. I like where we are,” Sanders said.

How the Colorado Buffaloes match up with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Members of the Colorado Buffaloes line across from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the fourth quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Familiar opponent, you know, scouting report, a couple new coaches as well, man. It's fun. It's a great matchup. It really is because we're doing primarily the same thing they're doing, and guys that once played here now play over there; that is going to be fun as well. It's going to be some chatter with that. It's going to be good. I admire and respect their head coach so darn much,” Sanders said.

 “It is unbelievable. I really do love the city, like we forementioned. It's going to be a good task. They're coming in with a quarterback that's uncertain as well. So all the way across the board, it's a good match, really is.

Impact of the Colorado Buffaloes’ running back depth

Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Adrian Wilson (6) pushes Colorado Buffaloes running back Micah Welch (29) out of bounds in the first quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Just because we have 10, that doesn't mean all of them could play. It's just the number that we have. Those guys in the front are the narrative that changes the run game. The guys in front of them, not those guys back there. We've always had those guys back there that can run, but those guys up there have to do their jobs, and they're big, strong, and physical enough to do their jobs,” Sanders said.

“It's a couple of those guys, maybe a few of those guys, are probably going to come out of there as All-Americans or All-Big 12 first-team players. Me, with what I see at practice every day, a couple in that room that got that kind of ability. Can't wait for you all to see it,” Sanders said.

General manager David Kelly’s impact

“Kelly, I've known him since we played for the Atlanta Falcons, and we have had a relationship since then. I don't think you guys know, like some of the relationships that we have in this program. You think we just grab a guy off the street sometimes. You don't understand. Relationship is what substantiates certain things in success. We've known each other for a long time since he kicked butt and won a state title in Atlanta,” Sanders said.

“So he was the first one to offer Shedeur when they were at Oregon, he and Willie Taggart, and Willie Taggart has been my guy for a long time, so what he brings to the table is phenomenal. You can't quantify it; you can't really understand it unless you know ball and know the inner workings of a program. But he's worth his weight in gold, and he's a good man. He's a good brother, man. He really is,” Sanders said.

Kicking off the season in primetime

Jul 30, 2026; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) talks with his father Deion Sanders during training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“That's normalcy for us. Contrary to popular belief, we play on TV darn near every week. I'm happy about it. I'm happy that we're still that someone that people want to see. They have the desire to see us either way, you know, up or down. But they want to see us regardless. We have some guys that I can't wait to see them in that light, in that spotlight, and see how they respond,” Sanders said.

“I kind of try to put them through tests right now to see how they respond and throwing them in certain situations, even off the field, just making sure they can handle that light because that light is really bright, and for the Colorado Buffaloes, it's really bright. And some in the past have gotten intoxicated from that light and blinded,” Sanders said. 

“But some have done really well, like the guys I mentioned that are on NFL rosters right now, and I'm proud of them. We have a good group of young men. I think you guys could understand that when you're interviewing them, when you're talking to them, they're really good guys,” Sanders said.

His excitement around his coaching staff showcasing its scheme

Sacramento State Hornets head coach Brennan Marion listens to one of the assistant coaches yell at players on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“Yeah, yeah, and they're ready. They're prepared. They're no rookies. They're not new to this. They're true to this. They're not rookies, and they're not going to be blinded by the light or, you know, enamored with the stage. These guys are ready, man. I mean, tell you, they're really, really good. [Josh] Niblett is good too. Coach Niblett is really good,” Sanders said.

“The whole staff is good. We’ve got a kicking battle going on right now for who's going to be the field goal guy, so that's pretty special, and I can't wait to see how that plays out. But I'm comfortable. I'm comfortable with what going to Atlanta with. I really am,” Sanders said.

Recruiting players from Georgia

“That’s the South, man. That's the South. It's like, how prominent has the University of Georgia been the last decade? Prominent. Alabama, prominent. Those schools from the South, Clemson. All those schools. So it's a bed of talent there, and we've been able to penetrate that bed and grab some great players out of there, and they're excited about going home. They're excited about putting on in front of their families,” Sanders said.

“They're excited about a multitude of things, and I'm excited for them. I just told them, just don't give us a penalty. Like, make it to the sideline and celebrate. I know that's a lot coming from me as a coach. I'm like, guys, I never belittled my opponent, and I never got flagged for excessive celebration. Although it may have looked excessive, it wasn't excessive. But I don't mind them celebrating. I want them to have a good time withstanding,” Sanders said. 

“When I have conversations like that, that means I already feel like they're going to make plays. I'm confident that they're going to make plays and they're gonna want to celebrate. I'm just trying to guide them and coach them. Just come to our sideline and do whatever dance you want to do, as long as it's on our sideline, I'm good. Do not get us 15 because I’ll send you into the locker room with your mouthpiece in. 

Where his coordinators will be standing on gameday

MSU defensive run game coordinator Chris Marve speaks to reporters at Media Day on Saturday, August 10, 2019 at the Leo Seal Complex. Photo by Keith Warren Msu Football Media Day | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“Down on the field, guys. My guys are not up top guys. But we’ve got some very intelligent guys up top,” Sanders said

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