Former Colorado player sheds light on Deion Sanders, program after hitting transfer portal

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Colorado departures continue to pile on Deion Sanders via the transfer portal. The latest remarks coming from safety Xavier Smith show that he did not appreciate the way his former coach handled roster management. One of Smith's former teammates in the secondary, recent Colorado transfer Cormani McClain, said he wanted to play for a "real program" and not want "playing for clicks" in 2024.

"He was destroying guys' confidence and belief in themselves," Smith said in an interview with The Athletic. "The way he did it, it could've been done with a little more compassion."

Deion Sanders Jr., who runs Well Off Media, wrote Monday night that Colorado's players will "control their own narrative" through behind-the-scenes footage and unrivaled access to the program, insinuating the family isn't fazed by disgruntled players after leaving.

More than a dozen players left the Buffaloes in the spring transfer portal window, including several projected starters, including running back Dylan Edwards.

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Deion Sanders says the exits are all part of the plan for mass roster revision. He has secured commitments from several transfer portal players to fill holes and said earlier this month there's no panic buttons being pressed ahead of his second season despite widespread roster turnover.

"I don't know how many starters have really transferred around the country," Sanders said before Colorado's spring game to conclude camp. "I think we got some coming in for visits pretty soon, maybe even this weekend. But we can attract those type of players, but I don't think we're losing those type of players. And if we do, we're good. We're good."

Buff Stampede.com publisher Adam Munsterteiger told 247Sports upon further inspection, most of the Buffaloes' portal casualties were not first-team players.

"There have been a few guys that have left the program that Colorado would like to have on its roster in 2024," Munsterteiger said, via the College Football Recruiting Show. "However, a lot of the guys that left were not going to be starters. It is tough to keep depth around in the portal era. You've got this revolving door with depth pieces. The big picture still looks very promising for Colorado.

"There's been an overreaction when guys hit the portal at the beginning of every portal window. Were they better off from a total talent at the end of each window? The answer is yes every time."

Get the latest football and basketball transfer portal news from 247Sports.

Omarion Cooper's entry on Monday is certainly a blow after he registered 37 total tackles, including 32 solo stops, which both ranked as the highest on the team among cornerbacks. Secondary stars Shilo Sanders and Travis Hunter are the only returning starters at the back end for the Buffaloes.