Throughout the Deion Sanders era in Boulder, the Colorado football program has been no stranger to the spotlight.
But amid a 3-6 campaign and coming off consecutive blowout losses, the Buffaloes are no longer making their players or assistant coaches available to the media, according to BuffZone’s Brian Howell.
Colorado initially declined to make players and assistant coaches available following the team’s 52-17 loss to Arizona on Saturday. The defeat marked the second straight game in which the Buffaloes surrendered at least 50 points and the team’s fourth loss in the last five games. At 3-6, Colorado now needs to win its final three regular-season contests to achieve bowl eligibility for the second consecutive year.
“No one will be available tonight,” Sanders told reporters following Saturday’s loss to the Wildcats. “It’s on me. Don’t attack the coordinators. Come at me. Don’t attack the players. Come at me. This is me. This has nothing to do with them, it has everything to do with me.”
Despite the glitz and glamor that accompanied Sanders’ first two seasons in Boulder — including a 9-4 record during Travis Hunter’s Heisman Trophy winning-season in 2024 — the Buffaloes now find themselves toward the bottom of the Big 12 standings with a 1-5 record in conference play. Anyone hoping to get the players’ perspective on the state of the Colorado program, however, will apparently have to wait until at least after Saturday’s game against West Virginia, which the Buffaloes enter as a 6.5-point underdog.
Sanders isn’t the first college head coach to shield his players and assistant coaches from the media amid a tough stretch, nor will he be the last. Unlike the NFL, such media availabilities aren’t regulated, so Coach Prime is well within his rights to curtail such access.
Still, it’s somewhat jarring to see a program that previously embraced attention now actively running from it. After being one of college football’s biggest stories in 2023 and a playoff contender in 2024, Colorado now appears to be just another program limping toward a losing record that’s trying to do so as quietly as possible.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.