Colorado Sees Concerning Trend Continue Under Deion Sanders

When Deion Sanders was named the new head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, there was a buzz around the program that fans had never seen.

Sanders is a larger-than-life personality, and wherever he goes, he draws a crowd and commands attention.

But the hype around the Buffaloes has died down in recent years. Colorado's best year under Sanders came in his second season when the team finished 9-4 with Shedeur Sanders at quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter playing wide receiver and cornerback.

But after losing their two prized players, the Buffaloes went 3-9 last season as they ran through multiple quarterbacks, giving fans very little to be optimistic about heading into next season.

That lack of confidence in the football team was really underscored when the attendance numbers for CU's spring game was released, showing a significant and steady decline from years past.

After setting a record with 47,277 fans in Sanders' first year in 2023; the spring game attendance dropped to 28,424 in 2024; 20,430 last season; and 17,500 this year.

The popularity of spring games has dropped all across college football, but Colorado's decline could signal a loss of interest in the program until Sanders builds another winning roster.

Sean Keeler of the Denver Post recently interviewed some students on campus about the novelty of "Coach Prime" wearing off.

"We're not anything new and shiny anymore," Colorado sophomore Elizabeth Stephan told Keeler. "We're just kind of a mediocre team that somehow still makes headlines because of our coach."

"I mean, they were competitive in (2023 and 2024) - even if (they) didn't win, everyone was excited," fellow CU sophomore Colin Chow told Keeler. "People had expectations for weird games or sudden victories. But (last year), it was like, ‘Well, we're down 30, no one on this team is going to pull that out.'"

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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 6:02 PM.