While Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes are no strangers to seeing their names in headlines, on Friday, ESPN’s Greg McElroy gave the Buffaloes some more offseason hype.
McElroy discussed the program on a recent episode of Always College Football, and mentioned his belief that the program will reach bowl eligibility in 2024.
“Colorado, I do believe, is bowl game-bound this year,” McElroy said. “Deion has flipped the roster again. You think back to last year – 72 signees, the No. 1 ranked transfer class, retaining just 10 scholarship players from the previous regime. They finished 4-8, and they were last in the Pac-12. 45 of those 72 players for Colorado that Deion brought in last year are already gone. So a lot of turnover. I do think they’ve done a pretty good job this year in the portal addressing some of the concerns from last year.”
The Buffaloes started off hot in 2023, winning their first three games against TCU, Nebraska, and Colorado State. Shortly after, however, the Buffaloes underwent a drastic nosedive. Sanders’ squad dropped seven of their last eight games, finishing with an overall record of 4-8 in the first year of the Coach Prime era.
“Here’s the good news – Shedeur Sanders is always going to give you a chance,” McElroy continued. “He is always going to put you in position to go out and potentially steal one. If everyone else on the offense doesn’t play well, he has enough juice and game to be able to elevate all of those other players to potentially secure a victory against a better roster. That’s how good he is. Having an elite quarterback is the ultimate neutralizer, and I believe Shedeur Sanders is elite. Needs to be better in the pocket, though – took way too many sacks.”
Not only was Shedeur Sanders sacked a lot behind Colorado’s offensive line in 2023, but he was also the most sacked quarterback of any Power Five signal caller, with 52 sacks surrendered on the year. Despite many issues on the OL, Sanders was able to prove himself through the air by breaking the school’s single-season passing record with 3,230 yards.
McElroy finished his thoughts by saying, “I expect them to be improved, but this is a see-it-to-believe-it business. I anticipate strides taken, and I do anticipate them getting to the postseason. But making a ton of noise in the Big 12? That is a bridge too far at this moment.”
