Colorado's NIL fine system under Deion Sanders could change college football

As the line blurs further and further between professional sports and college sports, coaches continue to adapt how they run their programs and manage their players.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders is letting his well-compensated players know they will now be held to NFL-like standards with fines in place for violations of team rules and tardiness.

A screenshot from a recent Colorado team meeting that got posted on social media shows the breakdown of rules and corresponding penalties for the Buffaloes.

Love this from Deion Sanders and the Colorado football program!

You are now being paid like pros. You will be held to pro-standards.

College football is no longer an amateur sport. If I am being completely honest, it stopped being an amateur sport a long time ago.

List of… pic.twitter.com/ygrM5bPbxF
— Hovah76 (@hovah76) January 25, 2026

Colorado players face a $500 fine for being late to practice or a $2,500 fine for missing a practice entirely. It's $400 for being late to a meeting or film session and $2,000 for a full no-show.

But being late to a strength and conditioning session or treatment session will really cost a player -- $1,000 for tardiness, with $1,500 levied for a no-show.

More generally, a "violation of team rules" can cost a player $1,000-$2,5000 based on severity.

Most costly is "public or social media misconduct," ranging from $2,000-$5,000.

“Not everyone’s a man right now,” Sanders said during the first team meeting for his 2026 Buffs. “But through this process — and that’s what I love, the process, I’m really not in love with the results, I’m in love with the process. I love the process. I like the struggle. I like the journey. I like all of that. … We’re in the process right now. But I need men. I don't need boys."

After elevating Colorado's football program from close to rock bottom -- 1-11 the season before he took over -- and going 9-4 in his second season in 2024, led by Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion Sanders' program regressed to a 3-9 finish this past season.

As usual, the Buffs had a busy transfer portal cycle -- both ways -- while losing 34 players to the portal and landing 41 transfers, per On3's tally. One of those key departures was star left tackle Jordan Seaton, who signed with LSU after a fierce recruitment.

Sanders has also cycled through coaches and coordinators in his time in Boulder. Former Sacramento State head coach Brennan Marion is Sanders' third OC in four years and will look to unlock former five-star QB prospect Julian Lewis after he passed for 589 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs while playing in four games with two starts as a true freshman.

As for the fine structure Sanders has put in place, it's just the latest example of college football taking on an NFL approach -- from schools announcing that players have been "re-signed" to others like Washington (with QB Demond Williams) and Duke (with QB Darian Mensah) trying to legally enforce NIL contracts and prevent transfers.