Colorado has yet to play a game in the 2023 college football season, but it's already one of the game's hottest programs. That's thanks to the sensational hiring of Deion "Primetime" Sanders as head coach. Sanders was named head coach in December 2022 after three incredibly successful seasons with Jackson State. Colorado is coming off a 1-11 2022 season and, excluding the shortened 2020 season, hasn't posted a winning record since 2016.
Sanders turned things around almost immediately. He encouraged players to enter the transfer portal. He brought in the school's best-ever recruiting class and took big-name players from the portal. Demand for tickets became so intense, long-term boosters were often left without one. Sanders makes bold moves for Colorado as the Pac-12 reaches a crossroads, namely in the impending loss of UCLA and USC. All of Coach Prime's work will be tested come the start of the season but early signs already highlight the energy in Colorado.
Sanders' First Spring Game Breaks Records
The first look at Sanders' new Buffaloes squad will come at the annual Spring Game on April 22. However, unlike previous editions of the annual intra-team scrimmage, a few things have changed. The game will be aired nationally on ESPN. It will be the only Spring Game to air on ESPN's primary channel and one of only two to air on ESPN's main channels. Furthermore, the 2023 Spring Game has shattered Colorado records. The game has sold out for the first time in program history. The 45,000+ expected attendance destroys the previous record of 17,800. Additionally, 2023's expected attendance is higher than the last nine Spring Games combined.
Sanders has taken Colorado from the laughing stock of the Pac-12 to a legitimate threat to the status quo. Colorado was once a dominant football force, winning a National Championship in 1990. Sanders has made it clear that he wants to return the school to its glory and made the moves to kickstart the process. Speaking to ESPN about the game, Sanders set the tone in no certain terms. "I can't wait for the spring game, really looking forward to it, because I want to see the difference in the atmosphere and the feeling and the spirit of everything," Sanders said.
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