Deion Sanders, Colorado Predicted to Struggle in 2024 by Coaches: It Will 'Get Dark'

The initial optimism around Deion Sanders and Colorado quickly faded away as the team lost eight of its final nine games this season with some expecting things to get worse before they get better.

Per The Athletic's David Ubben, Bruce Feldman and Justin Williams, six different coaches and coordinators within the Pac-12 believe the Buffaloes won't be as successful in 2024 as they were this year.

"It's gonna get dark for Colorado," one coach said.

When Sanders took the Colorado job in December 2022 after spending three years at Jackson State, he embarked on an unprecedented remaking of the roster. Only 10 scholarship players from the 2022 roster that went 1-11 were on the team this season.

The Buffaloes had 69 new scholarship players and 58 transfers on the team in 2023. It looked like the instant roster makeover was going to pay huge dividends. They opened the year 3-0, including a 45-42 upset win over TCU in the season opener.

Colorado was ranked as high as No. 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 during that initial run. It was the program's first time being ranked in the AP poll since 2020. The wheels fell off after that hot start, with the lone win over the final nine games coming on Oct. 7 against Arizona State.

Amid the ongoing struggles, offensive coordinator Sean Lewis lost his play-calling duties. He was in his first season with Colorado after stepping down as head coach at Kent State to join Sanders' staff.

Pat Shurmur, who initially joined Sanders' staff as an offensive assistant, was promoted to co-offensive coordinator when Lewis lost his play-calling responsibilities.

One assistant told The Athletic that Colorado's handling of Lewis "was embarrassing" and he would be "outta there on the first opportunity" if he was Lewis. The coach also explained how Lewis' system didn't fit with Shedeur Sanders' style of play:

"That coach said that Shedeur's propensity to hold on to the ball didn't always fit with Lewis's quick-release tempo system, causing a rift. That coach also said that when his team faced Colorado, after a three-and-out by the Buffs, he saw Lewis try to get Shedeur's attention but Shedeur 'pushed (Lewis) off and went to the other side of the field.'"

Lewis is on the verge of leaving Colorado, with ESPN's Pete Thamel reporting on Tuesday the 37-year-old is expected to be hired as San Diego State's next head coach.

The assistant went on to say "a lot" of offensive coordinators will likely "will be hesitant to come into Colorado" now because of how the situation with Lewis was handled.

Despite Sanders' name recognition and the initial wave of national attention around the Colorado program, recruiting is still an issue. The Buffaloes, who are moving to the Big 12 next year, currently have the No. 13 class in the 16-team conference with just nine commitments.

The Athletic noted Sanders will most likely use the transfer portal once again to build his roster during the offseason, but he won't be able to cut as many players as he did last year because that is only permitted for first-year head coaches.

Shedeur is eligible to declare for the 2024 NFL draft, but Deion has said he doesn't expect his son to leave.

Given how much work there was to be done with the Colorado football program when Sanders arrived, this season should be considered a success because it won three more games than it did in 2022.

But any expectation that the Buffaloes were on the verge of becoming a national powerhouse was clearly overstated with how things finished this season and where they lack talent.