Colorado football coach Deion Sanders may not be fighting for his job just yet. But consider the comparison as Sanders begins his fourth spring football season this week in Boulder:
McIntyre has had just one winning season in six years. Sanders had just one winning season in three seasons. So how did Sanders deviate from this similar path? By addressing the following three key challenges, starting Monday, March 2, a day after his team was rocked by tragic news: Backup quarterback Dominiq Ponder was killed in a car crash in Boulder County on March 1.
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1. Deion Sanders must fit into an almost entirely new team
Following last year’s 3-9 record, Sanders has a new offensive coordinator, new defensive coordinator, new running backs coach, new defensive line coach, new tight ends coach and new cornerbacks coach, as well as 44 new scholarship transfers and 12 new scholarship freshmen.
According to the university, only 21 of the current team’s 77 scholarship players return from last year’s team. Newcomers include San Jose State transfer receiver Danny Scudero, who led the nation in receiving yards last year (1,297). Talented playmaker Boo Carter also transferred to Boulder from Tennessee after being released by the team in November.
Colorado’s transfer class ranks No. 23 nationally, according to 247Sports. But Sanders only has 15 spring practice games before preseason practices and the season opener at Georgia Tech on Sept. 3.
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2. Develop future quarterbacks
This will be an especially difficult spring for the Colorado State quarterback following the sudden death of Ponder, a non-scholarship player.
“I know we’re going to find a way to get through this and honor Dom the way we work every day,” Colorado offensive coordinator Brennan Marion said March 2.
Pond will likely serve as backup this year to redshirt freshman Julian Lewis, who started two games last season. The 18-year-old Lewis has proven as a pro passer that he has what it takes to be the team’s new starter this year. But then Sanders changed his offensive coordinator, replacing Pat Shurmur with Marion, who ran the run attack. That doesn’t mean Lewis isn’t a good fit for the system. But it does raise questions about his ability to fit in.
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Another mystery added to the intrigue recently when the Buffs conducted an internal player draft to select two intra-squad teams. Somewhat shockingly, Lewis wasn’t the first quarterback drafted, as shown in a video posted by Sanders’ son, Deion Jr.
Instead, Colorado’s teammates selected No. 1 freshman quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne ahead of No. 2 Lewis. Sweetwin is a dual-threat quarterback who at least gives the scalps some options at a position that suffered a setback in 2025 when Sanders’ quarterback son Scheider left for the NFL.
3. Establish effective defense as soon as possible
Five days before the start of spring training, defensive coordinator Robert Livingston left to become an assistant coach with the NFL’s Denver Broncos. Colorado also confirmed on Feb. 26 that pass rushing coordinator Warren Sapp also left the coaching staff.
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In a bit of confusion, Sanders promoted new linebackers coach Chris Marve to replace Livingston and revitalize a regressing defense in 2025. Colorado ranks 111th Last year, the team led the nation in scoring defense with an average of 30.5 points per game, but then lost its leading tackler, safety Tawfiq Byard, to Texas A&M. But the Buffs still might be able to fill his shoes. They also added Vanderbilt veteran safety Randon Fontenette, who had 125 tackles over the past two seasons.
A bigger question might be whether the groom was the one to do the job. He previously served as defensive coordinator at Virginia Tech, where he was fired in 2024 after a 6-6 regular season.
If Marv fails again, will Sanders repeat McIntyre’s mistake of creating two one-hit miracles in 2016 and 2024?
Whether Sanders can meet these challenges is a question that doesn’t need to be asked starting Monday. The Hornets will conclude their spring training season on April 11.
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Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Deion Sanders’ 3 biggest questions facing Colorado football this spring
