Deion Sanders’s method of cutting dozens of football players is not unusual in college athletics and is part of improving the Buffaloes programs, Colorado athletic director Rick George says.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated while at Pac-12 conference meetings in Arizona, George defended his first-year coach in the wake of mounting criticism over what has transpired this spring in Boulder. In a roster turnover unlike any seen in college athletics, 30 Colorado players have entered the portal since the April 22 spring game. Forty-three players entered the portal during the spring window.
While some voluntarily made the move, many of the transfers say Sanders essentially cut them. George says Sanders is using what’s called a “head coach exemption” made available under NCAA rules to give first-year coaches the ability to cut scholarship players.
“We are not the first to do this,” says George, entering his 10th season at the school. “Eighteen months ago, there was a lot of criticism in our program because guys were leaving. Around 24 to 25 left in December [2021] right after the season. Similar things have happened at other schools. We are not unique in this.
“We know that in a coach’s first year, you have a head coach exemption, which is part of NCAA rules. Having conversations with student-athletes after spring ball … ‘Hey, this may not work out. You may not get the playing time you want. We’ll help you go somewhere else.’ That’s what those discussions were about. After everybody’s season, coaches and student-athletes are having those conversations. Yeah, it’s a lot, but we are focused on getting better.”
The purge of a roster is not new. First-year coaches like Lincoln Riley at USC and Billy Napier at Florida overhauled their rosters last year in their first seasons at their schools. However, Sanders is significantly ushering players out of his program and is speaking publicly about the situation at an inopportune time in college athletics.
NCAA leaders are fighting against a perception, from the public, courts and politicians, that they are limiting athletes rights and compensation. During an interview on The Pat McAfee Show, Sanders described the cutting of players as cleaning out “old furniture.” George says Sanders’s honesty is sparking the criticism.
“He’s more open and honest about it. I think that’s a good thing,” George says. “I don’t have a problem with that. At the end of the day, he’s doing what he said he would do.”
Sanders made his plans clear during the first few days on the job. In his first meeting with the team, Sanders told players to ‘Get ready to go ahead and jump in that [transfer] portal.’”
After the spring game, he reemphasized that the school will “move on from some of the team members” and “reload.” The Buffaloes have nearly 50 newcomers signed to play this fall, a number expected to rise significantly as Sanders replaces the transfers, some of whom have described the situation in detail.
Offensive lineman Travis Gray, a legacy player whose father played on the Buffs’ 1990 championship team, was cut last month. He received a text from offensive line coach Bill O’Boyle that he needed to report to the team facility for a meeting with Sanders.
"He’s walking with me and said, ‘Hey buddy, you’re going to get cut today. I’m sorry to tell you this. I didn’t want you to hear it from Coach Prime. I wanted you to hear it from my mouth. I didn’t want to cut you, but we had to cut five offensive linemen, and you were the last one,’" Gray told The Athletic.
John Tyson, the father of transferring Colorado receiver Jordyn Tyson, told The Denver Post, “My thoughts on Deion wouldn’t be good, so I’m not going to say anything. It’s a bad situation for us as a family, I will say that. And it’s unfortunate, but it’s the nature of the system.”
Amid the portal exits, Sanders has infused energy and excitement into a Colorado program that has had one winning season since 2005. He has loaded up on talent as well, signing the 21st-ranked class and a top-five transfer class in 247sports’ rankings. The school has sold out its season tickets for the first time in 27 years, played in front of a full crowd at its spring game last month and has seen merchandise and apparel sales increase by 300%.
“The dynamic has changed. There wasn’t a lot of energy in our program at the end of the football season. Today, there is an incredible amount of energy in our program,” George says. “I think our fans are so thirsty to win that having him with the energy behind that … they’ve gotten behind that. I can’t wait for the season to get here. I think [Deion is] going to win and win at a high level.”
It won’t be easy. Colorado opens the season on the road against reigning national runner-up TCU before hosting Nebraska and Colorado State and then returns to the road to face Oregon and USC.
