April 24th, 2023 is a day that might go down in infamy in college football history–the Buffs from Boulder, saw 18 players enter the transfer portal in a single day. This begs the question, why did this happen and what are the big takeaways? And with all the new talk about transferring, is this the new normal for college football?

New Coach, Who Dis?

Now, before we start pointing fingers at new head Coach Deion Sanders, and start writing off the Buffaloes' 2023 season already, we need to look in the rear view mirror: when reflecting on the 2022 season, the Buffaloes were terrible. With or without Coach Sanders, Colorado was arguably the worst Power 5 team in football, with an 1-11 record in the PAC-12. Not only did they only earn a single win in the Pac-12, but four of their conference opponents last year were from the old Pac-12 South, which in recent memory is weaker than their northern counterparts, and interestingly enough didn't grab something for the win column in any of those particular meetings. 

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If we look at this perspective in a statistical context, the story gets even worse. Using ESPN's Football Power Index, Colorado ranked 124th out of 131 FBS teams (with a team strength of -17.1), which was the worst of any major conference school (Rutgers second worst at 101, and -7.8). Now, even more embarrassing is the overall efficiency ratings. Colorado, with their efficiency score of 15.3, makes them the 4th worst team in college football: only better than Florida International, Hawaii, and UMass, and again, they're the worst team from a major conference. 

Now let us take a moment to envision ourselves as a player on this Buffaloes roster. A new head coach comes in–and it doesn't have to be someone with the aura and acclaim of Deion Sanders. Would you feel as if your roster spot is secure in times like this for your program? In the world of college football, you're likely hoping and praying you're not asked to leave or your lack of production becomes apparent in the early spring practice sessions. And while that might present an impossible situation to players who thought their sport were secure, mass transfers don't have to be a bad thing if they give athletes a way to contribute to programs that actually need them when their program's plans change.

College Sports are a Business

Colorado, like any other FBS program, wants to win games and the success of their athletic program depends on it. Say whatever you want about Coach Sanders, and the negative press he has circulated over the program since December, but the man knows how to win. Yes, Jackson State was in the FCS, but they went a perfect 12-0 during Sanders' time there, and their only loss was in overtime in their bowl game. Wins and media attention equal revenue and like it or not, college sports is a cutthroat business.

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Second, Sanders is attracting quality FBS coaches to come with him on this journey to restructure a program: new offensive coordinator Sean Lewis, and new defensive coordinator Charles Kelley. Kelley, last year was the associate DC for the Alabama Crimson Tide (top program and Colorado was 130th in YPG allowed) and Lewis was the head coach at Kent State for the past few years (where KSU scored 49.8 points per game in 2020). The University of Colorado Boulder meant business when they gave Coach Sanders $5 million to look for assistants, and it seems that he has truly found something to build upon. Again, these are business moves.

Third, perhaps we are also looking at the wrong side of the transfer portal as well. According to 247 sports transfer rankings, Colorado is in first place with a score of 87.98, beating out USC (82.36) and LSU (80.73) who have taken silver and bronze. In reality, you can't be leading this metric if everyone is leaving, so that must mean that players are coming in. And that is quite the case. Since Coach Sanders' hire was announced in early December, close to 30 new players from the country have committed or already enrolled in Boulder. These are highlighted by Kavosiey Smoke, who has been a great running back in the SEC at Kentucky. Coach Lewis brought a great Offensive Tackle with him, in the likes of Savion Washington. Also two linebackers from Clemson (Vonta Bentley) and Alabama (Demouy Kennedy) have joined the roster. Although these transfers were a part of a big-money move, these players are benefitting from the chance to make choices that make the most sense for their athletic careers. Both things can be true.

Feeling the Pressure

However, it's not all fine and well for the players either. Interestingly enough, it has been the positions that Sanders and co. have been bringing in the exact positions that have been fleeing Colorado. Whether it's the near certainty of Shadeur Sanders–Deion Sanders's son who 247 sports gives a 99 rating and 5 stars–starting at quarterback or a whole army of players from the secondary leaving due to cornerback Travis Hunter and Safety Cam'Ron Silmon from Jackson State (not to mention the a pair of SEC safeties in Vito Tisdale from Kentucky and Myles Slusher from Arkansas that are moving to Boulder), Colorado transfers are clearly feeling the pressure.

Related: Time for a Change? The Transfer Portal Explained

A wide receiver exodus is also taking place sparked by Montana Lemonious-Craig, an ex Buffs receiver who has entered the portal, which is an interesting development as he had 154 yards and 2-touchdowns in the spring game. With Hunter wanting to play both sides of the gridiron, Lemonious-Craig's target share could definitely have been small, also considering Willie Gaines from Jackson State is in the picture for the Buffs as well. 

The Final Verdict:

Overall, I think there are way more reasons to be optimistic than pessimistic. Folsom Field had 47,277 people at the spring game last week, which would be #10 in terms of spring game attendance in the nation for the last place team in the Pac 12–not a bad turnout at all. Even with all the drama, the Coach Sanders era has begun with a bang, giving the CU students and fans something to be excited about for now and the future, especially in a time where USC and UCLA are on their way out of the Pac-12 landscape. 

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* Originally published on May 10, 2023, by AJ Rosenberg