The Colorado Buffaloes are entering their high-stakes 2026 season opener with a massive overhaul and a chip on their shoulder. Just days before the Georgia Tech game, Deion Sanders found himself embroiled in a legal case involving his son. However, Coach Prime doesn’t want his players to be distracted by that, or any off-the-field stuff.
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“Everybody is blessed and highly favored. No trials or tribulations going on,” Sanders said during Colorado’s training, as shown in a Well Off Media vlog on September 1. “No trials or tribulations going on. I got somebody acting out in my family. Not Shilo. So nobody has got anything going on. See, sometimes when you walk in, there are so many men in here that the Spirit speaks to you and tells you what’s transpiring, and I can hear him clearly.”
“A lot of y’all are carrying burdens that you shouldn’t be carrying. And it’s too much weight for you. You’re adding pressure to yourselves. You’re adding pressure to your lives. And you’re not built for that type of pressure at this time in your life. Once you grow and mature a little bit, you will be. But right now, you need to focus on being a great student, a great football player, and a great son. That’s it. All that and all the outside stuff that people apply to you isn’t fair to you, and it isn’t right.”
It’s unclear which other family members Coach Prime is referring to. Heading into their matchup with Georgia Tech, the Colorado head coach has been trying to improve his players’ mental makeup. Last week, Coach Prime talked about the need to fix the sleep schedules to prepare for a late-evening game.
Georgia Tech enters the game as a 6.5-point favorite over the Buffaloes. The matchup carries immense strategic weight as a true “revenge game” for Coach Prime’s squad. In last year’s season opener, Georgia Tech came into Boulder and defeated Colorado 27-20.
Following a difficult 3-9 season in 2025, Deion Sanders completely rebuilt the program. The team features a brand-new coaching staff, two new coordinators, and more than 40 transfer players making their Colorado debut.
The wide receiver room has been heavily reinforced with transfers like DeAndre Moore Jr. and Danny Scudero. Redshirt freshman Julian Lewis is taking over the reins. He has been intentionally kept out of the media spotlight during fall camp to ensure he remains fully focused on learning the offense under coordinator Brendan Marion.
When asked whether the high-profile trial would affect the team as Colorado prepares for its season opener against Georgia Tech, Deion Sanders said the team is used to outside noise and remains fully focused on football.
However, the courtroom drama has been making national headlines. The bankruptcy trial finally began on August 31 to decide whether Shilo Sanders has to pay $11.89 million. The case stems from a 2015 high school incident where Shilo allegedly assaulted school security guard John Darjean. He was trying to confiscate Shilo’s phone at Deion’s request. Darjean claimed the altercation left him with permanent, severe injuries.
In 2022, Shilo failed to appear in court for the civil lawsuit, resulting in an $11.89 million default judgement in favor of Darjean. The former Colorado safety filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2023 to erase the massive debt. The current trial, which began in Denver, will determine whether the debt can be erased or must stand because it resulted from a “wilful and malicious injury”.
Coach Prime, through his counsel, tried to avoid testifying. However, for now, he may have to testify on September 4, a day after his team’s clash with the Yellow Jackets. The testimony will depend on the route Shilo’s legal team takes during the trial.