Colorado’s hire of coach Deion Sanders away from Jackson State in Dec. 2022 instantly transformed the Buffaloes into one of the most closely followed teams in college football. Their fanbase expanded overnight as they reeled in television audiences in sizes usually reserved for Alabama or Ohio State.
However, Sanders’s methods alienated some—and not just people within the game itself. Many observers took issue with his wholesale turnover of Colorado’s roster, which began with the most infamous video of Sanders’s tenure.
On Tuesday, Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders responded dismissively to one such criticism of his father’s methods. In The Athletic, now-UTEP (and former Austin Peay) defensive back Xavier Smith charged the elder Sanders “(destroyed) guys’ confidence and belief in themselves).”
“Ion even remember him tbh. Bro had to be very mid at best,” Sanders wrote on social media.
The shrug-like tweet drew widespread condemnation, accruing almost three times as many quote-tweets as retweets in about an hour.
Sanders’ on-field skills are obvious, but his tact may need some tinkering in 2024 as he presumably eyes the 2025 NFL draft.
