Being a college football (CFB) player has its ups and downs! And lately, the focus has shifted to the alleged $600,000 NIL offer made to Colorado State QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi. While everyone’s buzzing about this offer, it’s essential to consider the impact sudden decisions like these can have on the entire team. Even Buffs head coach Deion Sanders has been vocal about his thoughts on players choosing to redshirt or enter the transfer portal.

Recently, Troy Finnegan took to X to share Deion Sanders’ reaction to Brayden being offered this substantial sum to transfer to Kansas State. He captioned his post: “Interesting answer from Deion Sanders today about mid-season redshirts. Ties in Matthew Sluka at UNLV and the two Colorado State players who were reportedly offered $600k to leave CSU in the portal⬇️” Well, despite the big-money offer, Brayden turned it down and decided to stay at Colorado State. However, Coach Prime didn’t just focus on him; he also expressed his thoughts on other players choosing to redshirt this season.

Coach Prime didn’t hold back when he talked about UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka, who recently decided to redshirt for the rest of the season, citing unfulfilled commitments by his team as the reason. Addressing the situation, Coach Prime questioned, “The gentlemen who chose the redshirt, the quarterback, so is it right that he is still practicing or with the team?”

He didn’t stop there. Sanders criticized players who redshirt mid-season just to meet their own expectations, calling it unfair to the team. He said, “It should be NCAA rules and guidelines that if you choose that particular course, not that our guys are, we should be able to allow you to go. Because if a guy is redshirting for himself and he doesn’t plan on being here, why would you want him here if he doesn’t plan on being here? That’s really not fair to him. It’s not fair to his teammates. It’s a lot of unfairness.”

Now, Deion Sanders’ frustration on this topic is quite understandable, especially given the current challenges with his own Buffs team.

Deion Sanders’ fury towards red shirt

Coach Prime is dealing with similar issues this season, as two of his players, linebackers Trevor Woods and Jeremiah Brown, recently announced their decision to redshirt for the rest of the season. Woods has been a key player for the Buffs since 2021, transitioning from safety to linebacker and contributing significantly with 56 tackles and two interceptions last year. Brown, who followed Sanders from Jackson State, also made his mark with 11 tackles last season. Both players had already participated in the first four games this year before deciding to redshirt, leaving the team shorthanded.

The sudden departure of these players has left Coach Prime and the Buffaloes scrambling for replacements mid-season, which is no easy task. Sanders even acknowledged that “many” players had approached him with similar requests, making it a tricky situation as the Buffs aim for a strong season.

Despite these setbacks, the team has continued to perform admirably, with linebackers like Nikhai Hill-Green and LaVonta Bentley stepping up. Their performance against the UCF Knights showed that, even without key players like Woods and Brown, the Buffs are not to be underestimated. They’ve proven that they can adapt and still put on a great show, which is a promising sign for their upcoming games.

Coach Prime’s frustration is clear, but the Buffs’ resilience and determination are shining through, making them a force to be reckoned with, no matter the challenges they face this season.