When Deion Sanders took the helm as Colorado’s head football coach, he initiated a significant roster revamp, aiming to move away from the approach of his predecessor, Karl Dorrell.
Recent comments shared by The Athletic from former Buffaloes safety Xavier Smith have shed light on the initial transition under Sanders.
Smith suggested that Sanders’ methods could have been more considerate, expressing that the new coach had a demoralizing impact on some players’ self-confidence.
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“He was destroying guys’ confidence and belief in themselves,” Smith stated. “The way he did it, it could’ve been done with a little more compassion.”
Smith recounted a particularly stark interaction where Sanders advised him to “probably hit the portal,” implying that he wouldn’t make the team and shouldn’t “waste a year” trying. This advice, according to Smith, was quite disheartening.
Sanders has been open about his intentions to overhaul the team. He publicly acknowledged his plans to make significant changes, stating in an interview with Fox News Digital, “You all know that we’re going to move on from some of the team members, and we’re going to reload and get some kids that we really identify with. … We recruited some guys that can light up the scoreboard and prevent touchdowns from occurring. We’re coming. We’re serious about that.”
The full impact of Sanders’ drastic changes and his approach to rebuilding the team may become clearer as more former players potentially share their experiences of the transition period in 2023.
