Northern Colorado transfer tight end Fisher Clements quickly got a taste of what his time at Boulder will look like. During a session in the Buffs’ ongoing spring camp, head coach Deion Sanders told him to man up when he took a hit from another player. “Knock his head off,” the coach said. Clearly not having faced that kind of reaction before, Clements was caught a little off-guard. Days later, the TE opened up about his feelings about the incident. 

“I always think like, once a play ends, the play ends,” Clements said in a presser about that interaction with Coach Prime. “He got on me about it, and I appreciate it…Maybe in the moment it hurts a little bit, but it wasn’t anything personal, I know. Now I know going forward, that’s what he wants, and that’s what I can give him.”

Fisher Clements was not a much-talked-about prospect when he transferred to Colorado. He came to Sanders’ camp clearly wanting more competition, since he spent 4 years at Northern Colorado, and went 8-38. But Clements also needed to toughen up at Colorado, because these players will not be easy to outshine. He’ll now have to get used to moments like these and rising in them.

Deion Sanders has already admitted before that he will not break up a fight. He sees these moments as opportunities for the team to come together, and dislikes it when players try to remove themselves from fights. Not long before the Clements incident, Sanders had rounded up his players after a larger scuffle broke out at practice. “I don’t mind that,” Sanders said about the hits thrown. “But we’re going to keep it wholesome…We’re teammates.”

“Competitors compete, things boil over,” On3’s JD PicKell said, siding with Coach Prime. “If you’re not doing this at any point during spring practice or fall camp, you got a problem with your football team.”

Colorado won only three games last year, which is why things are energized at spring camp. These players have no choice but to develop a thick skin, because there is a lot of pressure on them entering the 2026 season. Fisher Clements, too, has a role to play.

Fisher Clements has big things to prove in Deion Sanders’ camp

Since Deion Sanders became head coach, tight ends have rarely gotten a chance to create an impact. Since 2023, only 52 receptions have been caught by Colorado TEs. But that will no longer be the case in the explosive ‘Go-Go’ offense that will be rolled out by new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion. Clements will be facing a dramatic change in the amount of responsibility he carries in the TE room.

The only prolific TE in the 2026 team is Zach Atkins. Clements may not light up the box score, recording 11 grabs for 83 yards in four years. But he is now the next best choice after Atkins in the TE depth chart. Clements has played 646 snaps and could be used as an athletic run blocker, since a strong run game is the signature of Marion’s offense. He could even be a good target for quarterback Julian Lewis, especially in the red zone.

Fisher Clements will have to lock into a system that will be challenging to an extent he hasn’t experienced before. After all, he is stepping into a side that ranked second-worst in the Big 12. The TE might as well use Deion Sanders’ tough-love lesson to script a breakout moment for Colorado this season.