A new era has officially begun in Boulder, one without Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, or the spotlight they brought with them. The national tone around CU football has taken a cold, measured turn. With no returning All-American, no magnetic Heisman campaign to rally behind, and no viral sideline clips drawing NFL eyeballs, Deion Sanders‘ Colorado Buffaloes look like a program stripped back to the studs.

Sure, Kaidon Salter is an enticing dual-threat transfer. And yes, the staff is fighting tooth and nail to reshape the trenches. But the truth? Colorado will walk into the Big 12 with less noise—and more to prove—than it has in years.

BuffZone’s Brian Howell summed up the shift bluntly. “Last year, the Buffs were picked like 11th, but Travis was picked as the defensive player of the year in preseason. Shedeur, the offensive player of the year… like, how do you have the best quarterback and the defensive player of the year and you’re going to finish 11th?” Howell continued, “That said, the media looked at Colorado last year as they’ve got two stars and nothing else, right?” Now, those stars are gone. The Lindy’s preview magazine places CU 12th. Athlon has them at 10. “I would guess they’re going to be somewhere 12 to 13,” Howell added. “On paper, it’s not an overwhelmingly impressive roster. It’s just not.”

Colorado’s Vegas win total sits at 6.5, and that feels generous. The roster is flush with transfer talent, but Howell makes it clear—“you have a lot of unproven talent… there’s potential to finish better than that and surpass expectations, but there’s a reason for these numbers.” Even AP Sports dropped Colorado into a modest No. 50 in its national outlook. There’s optimism, but not the celebratory kind.

Offensively, the Kaidon Salter era will likely begin under center. The Liberty transfer tallied 7,950 total yards and 77 touchdowns over three years in a system that let him run wild. He brings experience and a level of composure the Buffs will desperately need. But the elephant in the room is that Colorado’s ground game has been a catastrophe since Deion Sanders arrived. Statistically, the worst rushing offense in the FBS over the past two seasons. Coach Marshall Faulk is now tasked with turning things around as the new running backs coach.

The offensive line, a persistent Achilles’ heel, must improve for any of this to matter. This is where Colorado is either reborn or buried. The Buffs couldn’t protect Shedeur. They couldn’t open lanes. They couldn’t keep pace with the tempo Coach Prime wants. The fact that they’ve only returned one starter, Jordan Seaton, from last year’s line shows how much Deion Sanders wanted a reset.

The program refuses to go quietly. With Julian “JuJu” Lewis watching closely and Sanders continuing to lean into the portal to plug holes, there’s a belief inside the building that this rebuild still holds promise.

Deion Sanders’ CU defense leans in for 2025

With Hunter, Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig, and Shilo Sanders all gone, Colorado’s defense is entering a hard reset. The Buffs are shifting their defensive identity inward, away from the star-studded secondary and toward a gritty, trench-first approach. In other words, the spotlight now belongs to the big boys up front.

Leading that charge is Arden Walker, the rangy DE who flashed real promise before injuries derailed his 2024 campaign. Now healthy and hungry, he returns alongside two key transfer additions—former Alabama lineman Jaheim Oatis and Appalachian State’s Tavian Coleman. Then there is disruptive edge rusher Samuel Okunlola, and you’ve got the early framework of a 4-2-5 front that might be better than people think.

New DC Robert Livingston has his work cut out for him, though. Colorado returns only three starters from last year’s unit and has lost even more bodies to the portal and pros. Expect constant shuffling as he experiments with personnel groupings, especially in the back seven. On special teams, Kansas transfer Damon Greaves takes over punting duties. Two-way athlete Isaiah Hardge is set to handle punts. All-everything freshman Quentin Gibson, a MaxPreps National Player of the Year, is slated to return kicks. This season in Colorado, it won’t be a star-driven defense. It’ll be built from the inside out.