Colorado’s head coach, Deion Sanders, is back to square one with a three-win season. And now, amid donor frustration and portal attrition, Coach Prime is in urgency mode to replicate his 2024 heroics. However, he believes that the first step towards this is to change the locker room culture.

In his January 25 team meeting, Sanders unveiled a fresh set of rules for his team, proposing stern fines for violations. Arriving late to practice would now attract a $500 fine, and not showing up would incur a loss of $2,500 for the player. That is not it. Arriving late to meetings or film sessions would attract a $400 fine, and not showing up would cost them a whopping $2,000.

Subsequently, an injured player showing up late to treatment would be fined $1,000, while missing it would attract a $1,500 fine. Similarly, other violations of team rules would now cost players around $1,000 to $2,500, depending on severity. Moreover, public or social media misconduct would lead to a fine ranging from $2,000 to $5,000.

Notably, a report from Athlon Sports highlighted how Deion Sanders’ Colorado had become a “real-life Grand Theft Auto” with severe indiscipline issues and tardiness.

“It’s like a real-life Grand Theft Auto video game,” a former Deion Sanders player said. “There are many distractions with fights, guns, and money floating around. The environment is unlike any I’ve come from before.” The player highlighted a specific instance when Coach Prime’s son, Shilo, was involved in a heated clash with five-star prospect Cormani McClain in 2024.

The player highlighted how Shilo hit McClain after the Oregon State game and “slapped him several times.” Cormani quickly started screaming, “I’m going to kill you,” and the former CU player highlighted how “he wasn’t mentally there.” Not just that, he also highlighted how CU coaches use derogatory terms for players on the practice field and how it affects players’ mental state.

Shilo Sanders’ incident isn’t the only one, though. Athlon Sports reported that Savion Washington and Jordan Seaton were also involved in a fight when Seaton was bullied into proving “his manhood.” Receiver Kaleb Mathis’ alleged dispute also got highlighted in the media with Colton Allen. The reason? It involved a $10,000 gambling debt.

All such incidents kept the CU locker room in the media spotlight. But Coach Prime isn’t stopping. He has several other potential measures to steer the CU ship back to his 9-win 2024 heroics.

Coach Prime reveals more rules of conduct at the CU campus

In Deion Sanders’ very first team meeting of the 2026 season, he banned “profanity in shared spaces.” Players would also now have to address female staffers with “Miss” instead of using their first names. Meetings also follow a strict code now. No more snacks, casual attire, hoodies, hats, earrings, or phones, which Sanders emphasized to build team bonding.

Academics are also a priority for the CU players. The players are now required to avoid headphones, slide, or hoodies while attending the classes, and sit in front of the classroom. Even when attending online classes, a strict dress code must be maintained. That includes sitting upright, no shirtless roaming around or pacing casually, and showing up fully dressed.

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Another thing Sanders emphasized was his strict intolerance of marijuana. Players smelling “of pot” now will be sternly handled, even being potentially dismissed from the program. Will all the measures translate to on-field success for Coach Prime?

The CU head coach has landed 42 transfers this year from the portal and has 17 freshman commitments to offset the attrition he faced. All he needs now is cohesion from the bunch, and it won’t be far-fetched to assume Colorado finishing with 8-9 wins in 2026.