Deion Sanders on Colorado Players' Practice Scuffle: 'If One Fights, We All Fight'

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders took exception to some of his players not joining in a skirmish during a practice earlier this week.

When an altercation broke out between offensive tackle Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan and safety Jaden Milliner-Jones after Milliner-Jones tossed running back Anthony Hankerson to the ground following a touchdown run, some Buffaloes players opted not to join the fracas.

Speaking to his team after the incident (starts at 29:15 mark), Sanders declared "if one fights, we all fight!"

"You understand that? I don't want to see you all walking off when somebody's fighting," he added. "Never again!"

Sanders is entering his first season at Colorado. He's coming off a successful three-year stint at Jackson State where he went 27-6 and won Southwestern Athletic Conference titles in each of the past two seasons.

The Buffaloes' hiring of Sanders in December had an immediate impact on the football program. They brought in more than 50 transfers from the FBS, FCS and junior colleges.

Colorado had a top-30 recruiting class this year in 247Sports' composite rankings despite a 1-11 record in 2022.

Expectations have completely shifted for the program in the span of a few months. The Buffaloes haven't had a winning record in a full season since 2016. (They went 4-2 in the 2020 season that was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Sanders made an instant impact at Jackson State. The Tigers were coming off six consecutive losing seasons when he was hired. They had a respectable 4-3 record in his first year as head coach in 2020.

There's going to be a lot of competition in the Pac-12 this season. USC won the regular-season conference title last year and is bringing back Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.

Utah won the Pac-12 title game in dominant fashion with a 47-24 victory over USC. Washington, Oregon and Oregon State also won 10 games in 2022.

Sanders' attempt to change the attitude and image of Colorado has the potential to pay off, especially given the amount of talent he has brought with him. His first game will be against TCU on Sept. 2 at Amon G. Carter Stadium.