Former Player Doesn't Hold Back on Deion Sanders Criticism

Former Colorado Buffaloes tight end Christian Fauria appeared on the Zach Gelb Show and did not hold back his criticism of coach Deion Sanders and the state of the program.

“I’m just not a fan of the coach. I’m not. I’ll never be a fan of the coach,” Fauria said. “I love the school, and this isn’t me picking on Deion Sanders, because I picked on Joe Gibbs. … I just don’t like the way he coaches football. I don’t think he’s very bright. I don’t think he can manage a game. I think there’s a lot of flash, but there’s no substance. And he’s got a lot of people brainwashed.”

Colorado Buffaloes Coach Prime Deion Sanders Christian Fauria tranfer portal recruiting Folsom Field Boulder Travis Hunter — Oct 7, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks the sidelines as his team takes on the ASU Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

“And it bugs me that a lot of alumni just don’t speak up about it. They don’t say anything. But I will,” Fauria continued.

Fauria played with the Buffaloes from 1990 to 1994, but his son, Caleb Fauria, played under Sanders in 2023, as a tight end with Colorado, just like his father. After the 2023 season, Sanders’ first year with the program, Fauria’s son transferred to play with the Delaware Blue Hens.

Between being a notable alumnus and having a son who has first-hand experience of playing under Sanders, Fauria went on to call out the internal issues within the program.

“We’ll see what he can do. But I’m just not a fan of him. Not a fan of his coaching style, not a fan of his messaging. There’s a lot of things internally that I know about that I’m not a fan of. And it’s just not worth my energy to sit there and follow it and go back and forth with the emperor has no clothes crowd that support him regardless of how stupid he is sometimes.”

Concerns Raised on Internal Struggles with Colorado

While Fauria was vague about the program's internal struggles, it is not the first time concerns about the culture have been brought up. When winter workouts began, Sanders introduced fines players could receive for breaking various guidelines, such as skipping or being late to practice.

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One reason the fines have raised questions is that it could signify a cultural issue within the program. By implementing fines before the season begins, it could indicate players have been missing practices and breaking other guidelines, and this was a way Sanders could hold them accountable.

On-field issues are easier to fix by bringing in the right pieces, but internal struggles start with leadership, which is the head coach. Without a healthy culture, it is challenging to retain players, which is an issue Colorado is having following a mass exodus through the transfer portal.

Between the fines and Fauria's comment, Sanders and the Buffaloes could have their work cut out for them to get the program back in the right direction after a losing season.

Pressure Rising on Deion Sanders

The Colorado Buffaloes hired Sanders in December of 2022, and through three seasons, he holds a 16-21 record. The team’s best season in the Sanders era came in 2024, when the Buffaloes went 9-4 and 7-2 against the Big 12.

Before Sanders took over the program, the Buffaloes had won just one game, and in two years, he led the program to nine wins. He also rostered a talented team, including wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter, who won the Heisman Trophy and was selected with the No. 2 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2025 NFL Draft.

With the results of the 2024 season, things were trending up for Colorado, and Sanders signed a five-year, $54 million contract extension, which keeps him through the 2029 season.

After falling to a 3-9 record in 2025, concern surrounding Sanders and Colorado grew, questioning if he could get the team back on track. The Buffaloes suffered two straight blowout losses where their opponents scored over 50 points, and even in close matchups, Colorado could not finish games due to clock management issues.

"If relevancy and having a sold-out crowd and having people talk about you on Twitter, if that’s what you want, then congratulations, you’ve achieved it,” Fauria continued. “Is that the end goal? Just to be relevant? To have a new scoreboard? To have people talking about you? Or do you want to win games? Win games."

"The way you win games, the way you recruit, know everybody’s name, give everybody the same attention. Sing the fight song. Learn the fight song. I would say then you’ve got business. But right now, all your victories are hollow in my book if all you care about is relevancy."

While Sanders has proven he can lead the team to a winning record, losing 36 players through the portal and having to rebuild the roster for the second year in a row is hard to overcome, especially with a program that does not prioritize high school recruiting.

Sanders and the Buffaloes staff have been active in the portal, receiving 43 commits, and have an exciting quarterback projected to start in 2026 in Julian Lewis. Even with Lewis and exciting portal additions, pressure could be rising on the Colorado coach, and the team will need to improve this season.

The Buffaloes open up 2026 with a tough schedule, with four road games, including the season opener against Georgia Tech. This will be a big season for Sanders to show he has the program on track and that he can lead the team to success.

Concerns Raised on Internal Struggles with Colorado

Pressure Rising on Deion Sanders

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