Credit Deion Sanders for bringing life to a Colorado program that badly needed a rebirth. Before he took charges of the Buffaloes in 2023, they had badly faded into total obscurity. Coach Prime made them relevant again and the 2024 season, in which CB/WR Travis Hunter won the Heisman trophy, was truly special.
Hunter would go on to become the #2 overall pick in the draft the next spring, one of four Buffs to get selected in the 2025 class. However, the following season in Boulder, 2025, they slumped to 3-9 and this season just took a major downward turn last night.
Coach Prime and his team lost 41-7 at Northwestern, in what was the Wildcats' final game at Martin Stadium, the smaller, temporary home on the shores of Lake Michigan.
“We didn’t play
the type of offense or defense that we wanted to. And credit to those kids for forcing us into it” pic.twitter.com/hxqlM4vCWi
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) September 20, 2026
Colorado indeed looked every bit as bad as that score would indicate, as they turned it over four times, and turned it over three more times on downs. Sanders and Colorado were beaten soundly by several different mismatches, all night long.
It was the Buffaloes' first loss of the season, but given the emphatic nature in which it occured, it's hard to not feel very pessimistic about the rest of the year. In postgame, Coach Prime told his news conference that he had to be real, because he doesn't know what else to be.
"You got to take the good with the bad, man, dress it up in a suit an kiss it," he said in postgame.
And while they don't have the talent of the 2024 team, there are some draft prospects on this squad. Here are the leading candidates to someday become NFL Draft picks, once their college careers are over.
Boo Carter, DB
He's a bit like Neon Deion himself in that he's a defensive back who can also return punts. A transfer from Tennessee, where he was all SEC as a freshman in 2024, Carter has a very high ceiling if he stays in Boulder for two seasons. Think of him as more of a 2028 prospect than 2027.
Named to the Senior Bowl 300 Watch List, Carter's versatility is one of his many strong suits. He can play nickel, corner and safety.
Deandre Moore, WR
Joining Carter on the Senior Bowl 300 Watch List is Moore, a Texas transfer who hails from Bellflower, CA and attended the very esteemed St. John Bosco High School. Moore's prep alma mater has a fine history of producing future NFL players.
The 22-year-old receiver excels on the deep ball, and any NFL team looking to improve their vertical passing game should give him a look.
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Coach Prime doesn't have next level talent anymore (and it shows)
