Buffs Beat

Folsom Field's New Turf Surface Being Installed For Colorado Buffaloes' 2025 Season

As of Sunday, about half of Folsom Field's new turf playing surface has been installed ahead of the Colorado Buffaloes' 2025 season. Coach Deion Sanders and athletic director Rick George are preparing to potentially host a College Football Playoff game in December.
Jack Carlough|
Oct 26, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders leads out the team before the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Oct 26, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders leads out the team before the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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The installation of Folsom Field's new turf playing surface is coming along nicely ahead of the Colorado Buffaloes' 2025 football season.

As evidenced in a photo posted by Alpine Garage Sports on Sunday, about 50 yards spanning the south half of Folsom Field has so far been fitted with AstroTurf’s RootZone 3D3 system. No yard markers or logos have been painted yet outside of the south end zone, which features "Buffaloes" in gold letters with a black background. The concrete "Colorado" slope behind the south end zone is also seemingly receiving some love.

Crews went to work soon after Folsom Field hosted the Bolder Boulder on May 26, and the installation is expected to be completed by July 1 (per BuffZone's Brian Howell), just in time for the 101-year-old stadium to host three Phish concerts from July 3-5.

Sep 16, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; (Editors note: A tilt-shift lens was used in the creation of this photo) A general view
Sep 16, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; (Editors note: A tilt-shift lens was used in the creation of this photo) A general view as the marching band performs before the game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State Rams at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images | Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images

Folsom Field had a turf playing surface from 1971-98 before returning to grass ahead of the 1999 season. The decision to re-install turf comes with athletic director Rick George and coach Deion Sanders preparing for a potential College Football Playoff home game in December.

“I think putting turf down there gives us flexibility, certainly with the change in the College Football Playoff,” George told BuffZone. “Being a northern school, you don’t grow grass after October, and having a game in December was a big part of that consideration. Plus, it gives us another field that we can practice on daily that will benefit our football program.”

Turf also makes it easier for Folsom Field to host concerts, which creates revenue. After Phish performs next month, electronic dance producer John Summit will hold a show on Saturday, Oct. 18, during the Buffs' first bye week.

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Sep 30, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes Ralphie VI, the live buffalo mascot runs the field with handlers lea
Sep 30, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes Ralphie VI, the live buffalo mascot runs the field with handlers leading the team out for their game against the USC Trojans at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: John Leyba-Imagn Images | John Leyba-Imagn Images

In April, "Coach Prime" shared his thoughts of Colorado's home field making the move to turf.

“We plan on making it to the playoffs,” Sanders said. “We don’t want to play in the frozen tundra... This university is a magnet for events, so when you have events and you’re putting a lot of wear and tear on grass, that’s kind of tough to bounce back on. I don’t know if you guys (media) have been on the field, but when you have evening games, it’s a dew that gets on the field, and it gets pretty slippery.

“Going to the turf just assures us a better footing, a better surface, and it takes a lot of pressure off our wonderful staff that’s doing the grounds. Now they can focus more on the other practice fields to make sure they’re straight all year round for us.”

Folsom Field will host seven home games this fall, beginning with Colorado's season opener against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Aug. 29. Delaware, Wyoming, BYU, Iowa State, Arizona and Arizona State are also set to play on Folsom's new surface.

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Jack Carlough
JACK CARLOUGH

Jack Carlough is lead reporter for Colorado Buffaloes on SI. Jack graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor's degree in journalism and minors in business and sports media. Born and raised in the Boulder area, Jack began covering Colorado athletics in 2018 and was the head sports editor of the CU Independent during his college career. More recently, he spent over three years as the managing editor of the USA Today Sports Network's Colorado Buffaloes Wire, where he covered Colorado's hiring of head football coach Deion Sanders. Other publications Jack has written for include the Boulder Daily Camera, Left Hand Valley Courier and SB Nation’s Ralphie Report. In 2022, the Colorado Press Association awarded Jack second place in its annual Class 5 Best Sports Column Writing category.

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