Deion Sanders' timeline of Colorado's offseason woes, from staff restructuring to 'reporter ban'

Colorado was college football's big winner last September. The Buffaloes defeated TCU and Nebraska and suddenly became the center of the sports world in their first month under head coach Deion Sanders.

But everything since then is forgotten.

Sanders and Colorado finished the 2023 season just 4-8 despite a 3-0 start. The negative headlines continued to follow the Buffs in the offseason, with a series of transfer departures and controversial comments from coaches and players.

Sanders hopes improvements on the field will cancel out all the noise, but Colorado won't have an easy time getting to bowls in a brand new Big 12.

Here's a look back at Colorado's troubled offseason, from a personnel shakeup to Sanders' recent decision to suspend a reporter.

MORE: Deion Sanders talks to SN about expectations for Colorado in 2024

Deion Sanders' offseason schedule in Colorado

Sanders changes Colorado's coaching staff

For Colorado, the offseason began before it even began, as Sanders made the decision during the season to demote offensive coordinator Sean Lewis and make Pat Shurmur the offensive playmaker, even though the defense would seemingly cause more problems for the Buffaloes in 2023.

Lewis was eventually promoted to head coach at San Diego State, while Shurmur was given the full-time position as OC.

Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Charles Kelly became the fifth assistant to leave Colorado after 2023 when he became co-DC at Auburn in December. He was succeeded by Robert Livingston, who spent the last eight seasons as the Cincinnati Bengals' defensive line coach.

Sanders filled a void by bringing in former NFL star Warren Sapp as an assistant defensive lineman, a move that drew controversy due to a history of domestic violence. Sanders also filled the key offensive line coaching position with former Vikings tackle Phil Loadholt after a tumultuous year for Colorado's line.

Colorado hit by transfer avalanche

Colorado made headlines in 2023 with its aggressive use of the transfer portal, but the portal hurt the Buffaloes in 2024 when a slew of players left the club in the spring.

In the first 48 hours after the spring transfer window opened, 15 players entered the transfer portal, including former five-star CB Cormani McClain. Only two were holdovers from the pre-Sanders era.

Sanders dismissed the notion that the portal exits were a cause for concern, telling reporters in April: “I wish you would do a little more research when you talk about the portal and understand what we're losing. What are we losing?”

While it's jarring to see so many players leave in April, Colorado hasn't lost much in productivity from 2023, which works to Sanders' benefit. It's easier to replace depth in the spring than it is to replace starters, and the Buffaloes didn't seem too concerned about the losses.

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Shedeur Sanders argues with former teammate

Deion Sanders was accused of “destroying the confidence of the guys” by former safety Xavier Smith in a scathing report from The Athletic that detailed how quickly “Coach Prime” funneled players into the transfer portal after taking over the program after the 2022 season.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was not happy with Smith's comments and said Smith must have been “midfield at best” because he couldn't remember him.

To be honest, I even remember him. Bro was mediocre at best. https://t.co/qwK48Ys0Et

— Shedeur Sanders (@ShedeurSanders) 30 April 2024

Ironically, however, Sanders' tweet was in response to comments describing his father as “never trying” to get to know players. The quarterback's tweet was widely criticized for seemingly only supporting Smith's claims.

Colorado bans reporters from asking questions

Colorado has banned Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler from asking Sanders or the players questions before the season, a decision that has been met with displeasure by many in the media.

“After a series of sustained, personal attacks on the football program, and Coach Prime in particular, the CU athletic department, in conjunction with the football program, has decided not to answer questions from Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler at football-related events,” the school's athletic department said in a statement.

The decision came after an argument between Sanders and Keeler during a press conference. In his articles, Keeler referred to Sanders as “Deposition Deion,” “Bruce Lee of BS,” and “false prophet,” and also called the program a “circus.”

Keeler is a columnist, not a reporter, and his role at the Denver Post is to voice his opinion on the program. The newspaper said it believes Colorado suspended Keeler because it did not like his criticism of the program.

Sanders had said less than two weeks earlier that he would not answer questions from CBS Sports after the network ranked him the second-worst coach in the Big 12.

MORE: Why Colorado accused Oregon of accessing data after 2023 blowout

Deion Sanders’ contract details and salary

Sanders signed a five-year, $29.5 million contract with Colorado in 2022. He will earn an average of $5.9 million per year.

This deal makes Sanders the third-highest-paid coach in the Big 12, although the salaries of TCU's Sonny Dykes and BYU's Kalani Sitake were not disclosed because their schools are private. Dykes received an extension after making the College Football Playoff in 2022, so it's possible his salary is higher than Sanders' total.

Ahead of Sanders are Mike Gundy ($7.5 million) of Oklahoma State and Kyle Whittingham ($6.3 million) of Utah.

Colorado 2024 Schedule