Cold air isn’t the only thing hitting Boulder this week. As Colorado gets ready for a high-stakes showdown against Texas Tech, Coach Deion Sanders is cleaning house. Following a bitter loss to Northwestern, Coach Prime cut loose three players, and their names have finally been confirmed, leaving the Buffaloes with a strikingly thin secondary.
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This isn’t just about a locker room cleanup; it is about survival for Colorado’s season. Sitting at a shaky 2-2 record and already 0-1 in the Big 12, the Buffaloes are running out of margin for error. With tough conference games ahead, Coach Prime needs four more wins just to secure a bowl game spot, making this Texas Tech matchup a must-win turning point.
Jah Jah Boyd, Justin Eaglin, and Paul Omodia have been permanently removed from the team’s roster. All three players joined the program as transfer defensive backs ahead of the 2026 season. “It’s a done deal,” a source told The Athletic on October 3.
Sanders enacted strict roster purges due to “conduct detrimental” to the team. “I don’t understand how in the world you can find joy, or you can find a laughing matter when I’m right behind you walking into the locker room,” Sanders said. “I don’t understand that, and I addressed it, and I’m going to put my foot in it, not on it.”
While Coach Prime put his foot down, it does make their roster for their upcoming game very thin. The injury list already has Makari Vickers, Jason Stokes Jr., and Braylon Edwards sidelined against Texas Tech. This makes Colorado’s secondary bench seriously weakened.
While starters like Boo Carter, Randon Fontenette, and Naeten Mitchell will anchor the starting lineup, the bench for Colorado will be very empty. The reserve unit will force young players who haven’t had much field time to take the spotlight.
In addition to the defensive cuts, Colorado is shaking up its offensive leadership as well before their upcoming game. Coach Sanders is replacing second-year quarterback Julian Lewis with Isaac Wilson. He has taken over the bulk of first-team practice reps and is stepping in as the new starting quarterback for the Buffaloes moving forward. Handing the offense to Wilson is a huge gamble, but Sanders is making it clear that no spot on this team is safe anymore.
More about the reason for the dismissal of these three players
Sanders made it clear Tuesday that the dismissals were the result of multiple factors rather than one single incident.
“It’s never one incident,” Sanders said. “I’m one of the most loving, giving, and forgiving men you could ever meet, but when you start having conduct detrimental to the team, you don’t care about the team; you care about you. I have a problem with that. A year ago, I didn’t put my foot down in it enough. It lingered a little bit. Then, it imploded. I’m not doing that anymore.”
Jah Jah Boyd entered Boulder with considerable promise. In their Week 2 victory over Weber State, he recorded eight tackles and a forced fumble. After the game, Coach Sanders publicly praised his emotional passion and drive. However, it still wasn’t enough to keep his job safe.
Before arriving in Boulder, Eaglin was a defensive standout at James Madison University. Across 26 career games and 14 starts for the Dukes, he recorded 47 tackles, 14 pass breakups, and 6 interceptions. However, in the Buffs, he had a very short stint. He only saw the field against Weber State.
“People made a big deal out of last week, about us, you know, getting rid of a few kids,” Sanders said on Sept. 23. “But it wasn’t a team thing. It was just a few knuckleheads. Every occupation we have, it’s a few knuckleheads, right?”