Spring games returned in college football this year after many teams skipped them in 2025. But for some programs, they only increased doubt. Colorado joined Auburn and Tennessee, coming out of spring with more questions, with Deion Sanders’ program getting ranked in a list that he would have wanted to stay out of.

Colorado is on SI’s list of teams whose chances to make a strong comeback in the 2026 season look shaky. The Sanders-led Buffaloes played well in their spring game. Quarterback Julian Lewis threw the ball nicely and worked well with receiver Danny Scudero. The defense, led by Chris Marve, also looked strong and well-organized.

But the main problem was not how they played. The bigger concern was the team’s size. Colorado played its spring game, and even though people usually say these games are not very important, this one got a lot of attention. As soon as the team came onto the field, something about them stood out.

Many fans noticed that the players looked smaller than expected. Because of this, some even said the team looked like a high school team. This made fans worried, and people online reacted strongly. Some said the team looked too weak and could struggle against stronger opponents. Fans also started criticizing how the team trains and builds strength. They questioned whether the players were getting stronger in the right way.

Even though the team has a strength coach, Andreu Swasey, some people feel the players do not look as strong as they should. Because of this, critics believe the results on the field do not match what is expected from a college team. But the concern doesn’t just stop at team size.

There are questions about Colorado’s future because the new athletic director, Fernando Lovo, may want to recruit players differently. For the last three years, coach Deion Sanders has mostly built the team using transfer players instead of focusing on high school recruits and player development. This method has not worked very well.

The team lost more than 45 players in the portal, with just 14 commitments remaining. Because of this, depending too much on transfers is becoming risky. Lovo wants to change this by building strong relationships with high schools in Colorado and focusing more on developing young players. If the team does not play well this season, fans might look back at the spring game and say it was an early sign that bigger problems were coming.

Before the spring game, Colorado was ranked No. 65 in the SP+ rankings. This meant they were not seen as a top team, but people believed they could get better. However, after the spring game, things seem to be changing. And along with the concern that the team also had a silent spring game.

Deion Sanders, Colorado’s silent spring game

Colorado football had a very different spring this year under Deion Sanders, and it was much quieter than before. There was no TV coverage for the spring game or pro day, so it did not get as much attention. The team also did not charge fans to attend the spring game, which was different from previous years. Earlier, these events were bigger and more public.

This change came after the team had a poor 3-9 season in 2025. So, instead of focusing on hype, the team is now staying low-key. The team is now focusing more on improving and developing players. Coach Deion Sanders is giving more responsibility to OC Brennan Marion, who is helping run practices and taking on a bigger leadership role.

The team is also trying to build better chemistry. This has been a problem because there are many new players every year. This season, Colorado has 59 new players and only 21 returning players. To fix this, players are spending time together outside of football. They are doing activities like barbecues, fishing, boating, and other group events to become closer as a team.

Overall, Colorado is taking a quieter and more focused approach this spring. With a healthier coach, stronger leadership, and better team bonding, they hope to improve and maybe surprise people when the season starts on September 3 at Georgia Tech.