Deion Sanders apparently isn’t bilingual, but the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes makes it very clear in English what he expects out of his team this year.
“To win. To win. To win, develop, get these guys to the next level, and have them to be men, not boys,” Sanders said Friday in addressing the media for the first time during CU’s preseason camp. “That’s my expectation and we’re gonna eclipse that. We’re gonna win. We’re gonna win. We’re gonna win. I wish I could say it in several different languages, but we’re gonna win.”
On Friday, the Buffaloes held their third practice of the preseason and Sanders entered his press conference in an upbeat mood.
“Good practice today,” he said. “I always feel great when we practice well.”
Nationally, not much is expected of the Buffs. A year ago, CU went 1-11 and finished last in the Pac-12. Despite the entire coaching staff and most of the roster changing since then, the Buffs were projected for an 11th-place by Pac-12 media last month. Some publications have them finishing last.
“Who cares about that? Who gets it right? Who really gets it right?” Sanders said. “If you guys got it right, you’d be in Vegas right now. … Nobody knows what’s gonna happen. I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I feel like I know what’s gonna happen, but I don’t know what’s gonna happen.”
What he feels is that CU has built a really good team in a short amount of time.
Of the 115 players in camp with the Buffaloes, 87 are new to the program. Of the 87 newcomers, 57 got to Boulder this summer, making this a much different team not only from last fall but from the team Sanders led into the spring game on April 22.
Asked if this feels more like his team compared to the spring, Sanders said, “Yes. These kids can play. The roster is really talented. I love going to practice each day, witnessing the battles that we have in certain positions: receiver battles, offensive line, defensive line, defensive backs, corners, kickers. It’s unbelievable man.
“I love the depth that we’re displaying right now. I really do. It’s a whole new team.”
Despite the roster coming together from all over the country in just a few short months, Sanders said there is already a brotherhood and camaraderie within the Buffs’ locker room.
“It’s unbelievable, man,” he said. “Even with the guys we brought in the spring, the unity that they’re displaying, as well as the unity with the other guys that have come in the summer, it’s unbelievable. Like, you’ve got to see them at lunch, breakfast, dinner, just around the complex, out around town. These guys are really solid and they’re really unified. And they know what the common goal is and that’s to win.
“I love what I’m seeing. The coaches are doing a phenomenal job of blending everything and meshing everything together, but these kids we’ve got to give them credit for what they’re accomplishing. It’s not an all white table at lunch. It’s not an all Black table at lunch. It’s a team and I love that.”
It’s a team that is only four weeks away from playing its first game together, on Sept. 2 at TCU. For some, the start of preseason camp can heighten the urgency, but Sanders said CU’s mindset has remained the same all offseason and it continued into camp.
“We plan on winning,” he said. “We practice to win, we play to win, we work to win. It’s all about winning and developing and getting these kids to the next level. That never changes. No matter what time of the year, that never changes. It is what it is. And we won’t change that. The standard is the standard and we’re gonna stick to the standard.”
