The 2024 season in Boulder felt like a fever dream for Colorado football. Coach Prime’s Buffaloes, led by Heisman winner Travis Hunter, stormed to nine wins and captivated the nation. The energy was electric, the swagger was undeniable, and Colorado was must-see TV.
That makes the 2025 collapse all the more jarring. The Buffaloes stumbled to a 3-9 finish, with a 1-8 record in Big 12 play that included a brutal five-game losing streak to end the year. For a program that has known its share of struggles, last season marked a significant low, posting the second-worst record in Boulder in over a decade.
A major factor was Coach Prime’s unavoidable absence. Battling the after-effects of prostate cancer last summer and a brief scare with blood clots this spring, Sanders was away from the team for critical periods. His presence, as he himself notes, is everything. "Everybody inside these doors can tell you, it's different when I'm here," Sanders stated recently. Now, with a clean bill of health, his full-time return to the facility signals a new chapter.
But his return alone won't fix the on-field issues. The 2025 season exposed a glaring problem: life after Shedeur Sanders. For the first time in his coaching career, Deion didn't have his son as a security blanket under center. The quarterback carousel of Kaidon Salter, Ryan Staub, and freshman Julian Lewis led to offensive inconsistency, though Lewis’s promising late-season play offers a foundation of hope.
To spark a revival, Colorado is betting on a new system. The arrival of offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and his high-octane "Go Go Offense" aims to create explosive plays and open up a rushing attack that has largely been absent. The scheme is designed for speed and space—perfect for the type of dynamic athletes Sanders loves to recruit.
As the 2026 season approaches, the question in Boulder isn't about health or hype; it's about execution. Coach Prime is back, fully engaged, and armed with a new offensive philosophy. The pieces are there for a turnaround, but after last year's disappointment, the Buffaloes will need to prove that the magic of 2024 wasn't a one-time spectacle. The journey back to relevance starts now.