Colorado didn’t need the Big 12’s preseason honors to tell it where the program stands. When the Preseason All-Big 12 team dropped on Monday, not a single Buff earned a spot. It really wasn’t shocking given they’re coming off a 3-9 season and a 1-8 conference record. What stood out wasn’t the snub itself, but how Deion Sanders’ son reacted. After Jake Schwanitz shared the preseason team on social media, he reposted it with an honest response.

“We had a terrible showing last year….” Deion Sanders Jr. wrote. “That’s how it’s supposed to be. We gotta make them respect it. It’s a show & prove situation…… and I’d rather be underestimated than over prepared for.”

Colorado’s absence from the preseason team shows what happened on the field last season more than anything else. The Buffs never found stability at QB, rotating between Julian Lewis, Kaidon Salter, and Ryan Staub without establishing a clear long-term answer. The offense struggled all year, but the low point came in a 53-7 loss to Utah. 

That afternoon summed up the season. The Utes piled up 587 total yards, including 422 on the ground. Freshman QB Byrd Ficklin threw for 140 yards and added 151 rushing yards himself, while RB Wayshawn Parker averaged 14.5 yards per carry on his way to 145 rushing yards.

Colorado’s offense fell apart, finishing with just 140 total yards after going minus-18 yards by halftime. Kaidon Salter was benched after throwing for only 37 yards, and Utah’s punter even completed a 25-yard pass, nearly stealing the show. So you can understand why media voters aren’t high on Deion Sanders’ team. 

Only three Big 12 schools ended up without a representative on the preseason list – Colorado, Kansas, and UCF. Some thought Buff WR Danny Scudero would make it after a good 2025 season, but he didn’t. The winners are Texas Tech with seven players and BYU with six, showing a huge gap between the top and bottom. 

Deion Sanders Jr. is aware of the stakes if this season becomes another extension of 2025. A month earlier, during a Well Off Media vlog, Director of Player Personnel Darius Darden-Box updated him on Colorado’s recruiting push, particularly in Florida.

“We had 10 people here on campus,” the coach said. “Some good families, a lot of Florida cats. We got five guys committed from the state of Florida. I’m trying to make Pop’s proud with that. I know he wants to make that change. We counted in January. ‘It wasn’t enough,’ he said. So, we are trying to hit that state hard.”

Deion Sanders Jr. appreciated the effort and brought the conversation back to what matters most.

“Well, I appreciate you, man, because we gotta win,” he said. “Or I’mma be out of a job.”

As you see, the stakes are on everyone. That’s why Deion Sanders has overhauled his coaching staff and continued to reshape the roster this offseason, hoping Year 4 is different. Whether those changes work remains to be seen. But what’s already clear now is that Colorado isn’t pretending last season was anything other than what Deion Sanders Jr. called it: “A terrible showing.” Now comes the chance to prove it won’t happen again.