23-year-old Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder died early Sunday morning in a single-car crash. The Colorado State Patrol said Ponder was driving a 2023 Tesla when he lost control while navigating a curve. He was pronounced dead at the scene in Boulder County. In the wake of the tragedy, the loss has deeply impacted Deion Sanders and the entire Colorado football program.

On March 1st, DNVR Buffs hopped onto their handle and shared that to keep his memory alive, Deion Sanders announced the team will be rocking a special patch on their uniforms for this entire upcoming season. The team actually got to vote on what the tribute patch should look like.

In a meeting caught on camera, Coach Prime showed off three different designs: a lowercase “dom,” an uppercase “DOM,” and “DP 7,” which uses Dom’s initials and his jersey number.

“You guys want to get together with the leaders of the selection committee for the two different teams, and you guys come back. You guys tell them, and you come back and tell me. We’ll figure out what you guys want, because it’s going to be what you guys want,” Sanders said.

It’s a small way for the guys to keep their teammates close to their hearts every time they step on the field this year. Even at their first practice back, they broke every huddle by chanting his name.

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The tragedy happened around 3 a.m. on Sunday, March 1, on Baseline Road in Boulder. The car went through a guardrail, smashed into a power pole, and then rolled down an embankment before catching fire. The police are saying speed was likely the main factor.

Coach Deion Sanders was actually the one who broke the news to the team, actually.

He called Dominiq a “born leader” and one of his favorite players because he was always so positive and worked so hard. Ponders had this asymmetric journey to get to Boulder. He first started in Florida as a three-star recruit. After a short stint in Gainesville, he then bounced through Bethune-Cookman and Georgia Tech before finally landing with Coach Prime last season.

The Buffs have been sharing all these cool stories, like how Dom would literally jump a 10-foot fence just to help a teammate get into a hot tub for rehab. He was usually the first person in the QB room before the sun even came up, which is why the team was so adamant about not canceling practice. They felt like sitting around would be the last thing Dom would’ve wanted them to do.

This is definitely going to be a long spring for his family and also for his team to process this one. Offensive coordinator Brennan Marion said getting the call from Dom’s dad didn’t even feel real.

The school is bringing in a couple of counselors for the players. Dom was a criminology major with a bright future. His presence might no longer be here with us.

But the legacy he left behind in that locker room is probably going to fuel the Buffs for a long time, because they got a bigger purpose to play the game of football. However, this isn’t the first time Coach Prime has used patches to honor program legends or personal mentors.

Deion Sanders’ tradition of honoring legends through uniform tributes.

Actually, Coach Prime has a history of using uniform patches to bridge the gap between his team’s ambitious future and the program’s legendary past. One of the most significant tributes was for the late Hall of Fame coach Bill McCartney. The legendary coach passed away in early 2025.

To honor the man who led Colorado to its only national title, the team wore a “Mac 82-94” patch on their right shoulders during the 2025 season opener. They even went all out with a throwback uniform combo (gold helmets and black jerseys) to match the look from McCartney’s championship era.

On a more personal level, Sanders himself wears a “JC” patch on his game-day coaching gear to honor his longtime mentor, Jimmie Callaway. Callaway was the legendary equipment manager at Florida State who took a young Deion under his wing and became a father figure to him.

Since Callaway’s passing in 2020, Coach Prime has kept his memory alive on the sidelines as a constant reminder of the people who helped him get to where he is today.