Despite having an 11-2 campaign in the 2025 season and a first-round playoff appearance, Tulane couldn’t keep its first-team All-AAC defensive lineman Santana Hopper on the team. Well, the move mostly came after Jon Sumrall’s move to Florida and turned into Deion Sanders’ defense’s biggest boon.

Hopper’s commitment arrives at a critical moment for the Buffaloes, who suffered heavy losses along the defensive front. Brandon Davis-Swain, Alexander McPherson, London Merritt, and Gavriel Lightfoot are all gone, while Christian Hudson, Tawfiq Thomas, and Tavian Coleman entered the transfer portal. The attrition left Colorado searching for stability after a 2025 season in which it allowed 425.7 yards per game and ranked 122nd nationally in total defense.

Hopper brings both production and consistency. In the 2025 season alone, he recorded 30 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks, earning first-team All-AAC honors and PFSN Third Team All-American recognition. Over three seasons at Tulane, he totaled 100 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks, establishing himself as one of the most reliable defensive linemen in the portal.

At Colorado, Hopper is expected to step into an immediate starting role while gaining national exposure under Sanders. The Buffaloes’ recent track record of developing NFL-caliber talent adds to the appeal. Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy before entering the NFL Draft and being selected No. 2 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars as a two-way player. In addition, Colorado sent four offensive players: Hunter, Shedeur Sanders, Jimmy Horn Jr., and LaJohntay Wester, to the draft last year, the program’s highest total since 2017. BJ Green II and Travis Jay also drew NFL interest as undrafted free agents.

Along with those factors, one thing that might have caught Hopper’s eye is DC Robert Livingstone’s potential. Bringing his NFL expertise, he helped the Buffs lead the Big 12 in sacks with 33, seven more than second-place Kansas State in the 2024 season. So, this clearly shows their defensive unit does have potential and is ready to explode.

But with that, financial struggles are also becoming a massive roadblock for Colorado.

Colorado’s new AD addresses financial issues

Fernando Love officially takes over as Colorado’s new athletic director after Rick George moves to the special advisor role. Now, after accepting the job last week, the first thing Lovo addressed in his first news conference was the university’s $27 million deficit.

“Early on, we’ve got to find ways to increase our revenue, right?” Lovo said.

The reason behind the hefty deficit amount is $20.5 million in revenue sharing with players and $10 million for Deion Sanders’ salary. On top of that, Lovo’s five-year contract, which pays $1.2 million per year, is another add-on.

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But he did come up with a plan of generating revenue for the team, and if he raises $25 million in donations by June 30, 2027, he earns $200k, and if he raises $40 million by 2030, then it goes up by $250k. And his business ties with New Mexico can help him achieve this number.

With that, even Colorado will support Fernando Lovo as chancellor; Justin Schwartz assured their support.

“We talk often about college athletics being the front porch of the university, and you know, in today’s era, there’s a camera and a microphone at every front door watching every front porch,” Schwartz said. “So it’s an integral part of who we are. It’s a critical part of the experience of all of our students, not just the student-athletes… It’s important that we’re in lockstep.”

Lovo also brings in his recruiting expertise to Colorado, as he holds the ability to clip top talents like Jason Eck. And got Erin Olen as New Mexico’s basketball head coach, who started with a 10-2 record. Now, let’s wait and see if Lovo’s addition can turn things around for Deion Sanders and Colorado or not!