As soon as Deion Sanders was named the head coach of Colorado’s football team, he overhauled the roster. He clearly wanted the program to erase any trace of the Karl Dorrell era.
On Monday, The Athletic shared some insight regarding Sanders’ tenure at Colorado, courtesy of former Buffaloes safety Xavier Smith.
Smith believes Sanders could’ve handled things better when he first arrived to Boulder.
“He was destroying guys’ confidence and belief in themselves,” Smith told The Athletic. “The way he did it, it could’ve been done with a little more compassion.”
Smith also told The Athletic that Sanders said he should “probably hit the portal” because he shouldn’t “waste a year” thinking he could make the roster. Obviously, those alleged words hurt the three-star safety.
For what it’s worth, Sanders was transparent with the media about making wholesale changes to his roster.
“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,” Sanders said, via Fox News Digital. “… We recruited some guys that can light up the scoreboard and prevent touchdowns from occurring. We’re coming. We’re serious about that.”
It’ll be interesting to see if additional ex-Colorado players come forward with details about the mass exodus that took place in 2023.