The first thing you hear from people who knew Dominiq Ponder is his smile. For the last three years, the Florida kid, with all warmth and energy, was trying to make it work in thin air and colder mornings. But on March 1, just when he was about to get busy for spring practice with his team, the 23-year-old QB succumbed to a tragic single-car crash in Boulder County. And now, his parents are revealing something that makes it harder for Colorado. 

“I don’t know how people can get through this,” Dominiq Ponder’s father, Wendell, said. His mom, Catrina, followed quietly, “Losing a child.”

According to the Colorado State Patrol, Dominiq lost control on a curve and hit a guardrail. He was pronounced dead at the scene, as investigators said speed is suspected as a factor. Just like that, a life full of plans was gone. His dad shared something else that makes this sting even more. 

“I was so proud as a father,” he added. “I couldn’t be prouder. He loved Boulder so much and the University of Colorado that he told us over and over, but he said, ‘I’m never coming. I’m never leaving.’”

“We’re just so thankful,” his mother added. “We don’t think we could get through it, to be honest. They spent more time with our boy over the last three years than we did.”

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Dominiq Ponder was one of Deion Sanders’ Florida boys who arrived as a non-scholarship player. From what his parents said, this player from Opa-locka belonged in Colorado. That’s why Wendell and Catrina visited the institution that had meant so much to their son. After his passing, they travelled to Boulder to meet Dom’s teammates and coaches, who got to spend more time with their son as he grew into a man. 

“He was home over break, and he said, ‘Dad, Boulder is going to be my home,’” his dad said. “He loved it that much. They embraced him, and he loved it, and he embraced them.”

Even as a fourth-string QB, Dominiq Ponder carried himself like he was part of something bigger. A resurfaced video says a lot about how he fit in. Last Christmas, Shedeur Sanders, who shared the QB room with the 6’5″, 200-pound QB for a season, drew him as Secret Santa and gifted him a vacation trip to Bal Harbour, Florida. It was a small moment, but it showed the bond inside that room. And when Deion Sanders confirmed the news on X, his words sounded personal.

“God, please comfort the Ponder family, friends, & Loved ones,” he wrote. “Dom was one of my favorites! He was Loved, Respected & a Born Leader… Lord, you’re receiving a good one. Comfort us Lord, Comfort us.”

And now Colorado has to move forward without him. But before spring practice began, Deion Sanders told the team they would wear a tribute patch during the 2026-27 season. He let the players choose from the options—”DOM,” “DP 7,” “Dom,” and “DP 22.” The team picked “DP 22.”

“The team gets to choose how we honor Dom,” the head coach wrote.

That choice said everything. This was brotherhood, and that locker room is still grieving. 

Colorado is playing for Dominiq Ponder

Spring practice still opened Monday, but inside the facility, it’s different. WR Tagert Bardin, his roommate, described the kind of bond that’s built in early morning lifts and long practice days. 

“Whenever you looked at Dom, it just gave you a smile,” he said. “We’re together all day, like whenever we have practice early mornings. When you’re with someone for that long, and you share those experiences, practice, and everything else, it’s just, you bond so much faster.”

Backup QB Colton Allen voiced out how Dominiq Ponder was a blessing to so many people. 

“You had a presence about you that just made everything better,” he wrote on Instagram. “You brought so much joy to me and everyone around you. I’m grateful for every lift, every practice, every rep, every conversation we got to share. I’ll carry those with me for the rest of my life. What happened feels so final. It feels heavy. It hurts.”

DB Ben Finneseth shared what Deion Sanders asked the team on Sunday. Did they want to work on Monday? They talked it out and answered yes.

“Everything that we’re going to do moving forward is for him,” he said. “We decided, as a team, Dom wouldn’t miss the day,” Finneseth said. “He wouldn’t miss the day of workouts. That’s what he would’ve wanted for us. He would have said, ‘Life’s got to move on. We’ve got championships to win, and we still have goals, and the clocks are still rolling.’”

Colorado will run 15 spring practices and close with the Black & Gold Game on April 11. But right now, there’s something bigger hanging over the program. A 23-year-old who once told his parents he was never leaving Boulder. He lives on forever in the hearts of those whose lives he impacted.