The Staggering Numbers Behind Colorado's Looming Roster Rebuild

A full-on roster rebuild is underway in Boulder.

With 10 Colorado Buffaloes players headed to the transfer portal next month and others to likely follow, coach Deion Sanders will have ample scholarship spots to work with as he looks toward the 2026 season. Those available roster spots will be used to bolster Colorado's defense at all three levels and build around true freshman quarterback Julian "JuJu" Lewis.

Following the losses of defensive tackle Brandon Davis-Swain and offensive lineman Carde Smith to the transfer portal, BuffZone's Brian Howell shared Thursday that by his count, Colorado currently has 35 open scholarship spots to work with. At this rate, that number should continue growing ahead of and during next month's transfer window.

Numbers Colorado Roster Rebuild Buffaloes Deion Sanders Omarion Miller Tawfiq Byard Brandon Davis-Swain Transfer Portal Buffs — Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive end Brandon Davis-Swain (91) reacts to a turnover in the first quarter against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Howell added that "when it's all said and done," Colorado could add over 40 players from the transfer portal this offseason. For comparison, the Buffs both lost and gained 33 portal players last year, according to 247Sports.

This offseason's rebuild could rival Sanders' first few months as Colorado's head coach, which saw over 50 players both leave and join the Buffs via the transfer portal.

A Closer Look At Colorado's Transfer Portal Numbers

As of Thursday, a few other numbers stand out as notable from Colorado's early string of transfer portal losses.

Transfer Portal Losses: 10
Class of 2025 Signees Lost (Dating Back To Last Spring): 6
Defensive Players Lost: 8
All-Big 12 Players Lost: 2 (Omarion Miller, Tawfiq Byard)
Combined Starts From Players Lost: 33
Current Scholarship Spots Available: 35

The defensive numbers are particularly concerning. Only three consistent contributors from last season's defense are still with the Buffs.

Colorado had 16 players play at least 300 snaps on defense this year. Ten are graduating seniors and three others are hitting the portal. Only ones from that group left (as of now):
CB DJ McKinney
S Carter Stoutmire
DE London Merritt#cubuffs
— Brian Howell (@BrianHowell33) December 18, 2025

While every case is unique, Sanders attributed money to the primary reason college players enter the transfer portal.

“You’ve gotta understand when a guy leaves a program that selected him, or got him out of the portal, he leaves for a multitude of reasons," Sanders said. "The number one reason people leave is money. It’s not a disdain for staff or players. It’s money — let’s just be honest, man. Let’s stop sugarcoating this foolishness.”

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Preparing For Colorado's Transfer Portal Additions

As things currently stand, Colorado will likely add at least one transfer at every position group. Quarterback, tight end and running back stand out as somewhat stable, but expect "Coach Prime" to shop everywhere he can.

"Coach Prime" spoke on Colorado's biggest transfer portal needs last month.

"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 said. "A lot of that is on the defensive side of the ball... 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."

Those "youngsters" in the secondary Sanders mentioned include class of 2026 signees Alexander Ward, Maurice Williams and Preston Ashley.