From the day he took over as Colorado’s head football coach in December, Deion Sanders has promised there would be changes – major changes.
Sanders has never wavered from that and the post-spring purge of the roster is in full swing.
On Monday, 16 more players announced their intentions to enter the NCAA transfer portal, including 2022 leading rusher Deion Smith and dynamic receiver Jordyn Tyson, who is recovering from a knee injury.
Overall, 18 players have left the Buffs since Saturday’s spring game and 31 since the NCAA transfer portal window opened on April 15.
“You all know that we’re going to move on from some of the team members and we’re going to reload and get some kids that we really identify with,” Sanders said during a press conference following Saturday’s spring game at Folsom Field. “This process is going to be quick, itap going to be fast, but we’re going to get it done.”
In the week leading up to the spring game, CU had 13 players enter the transfer portal. Of that group, Sanders said, “That was on them. Now itap on me.”
It hasn’t taken long for him to make some decisions.
In addition to Smith and Tyson, 14 others announced their decisions to transfer from CU on Monday. That group includes defensive backs Jeremy Mack Jr., Jason Oliver, Oakie Salave’a, Xavier Smith and Tyrin Taylor; defensive end Aaron Austin; outside linebackers Shakaun Bowser, Devin Grant and Aubrey Smith; running back Victor Venn; receivers Grant Page and Ty Robinson; and offensive linemen Jackson Anderson and Alex Harkey.
On Sunday, receivers Montana Lemonious-Craig and Chase Sowell announced their intentions to transfer.
Deion Smith, who spent five seasons at CU, led the Buffs with 393 rushing yards last season, averaging 4.73 yards on 83 carries. He rushed for 669 yards during his CU career and spent some time with the first-team offense this spring before a hamstring injury sidelined him.
“I truly appreciate every moment of this journey,” Smith wrote on social media. “My college experience was something that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Tyson was limited to nine games as a true freshman last season and didn’t get much of an opportunity to play until after head coach Karl Dorrell was fired following the Buffs’ fifth game of the season. He then suffered a season-ending knee injury in a loss to Oregon on Nov. 5 at Folsom Field.
Tyson finished the year with 22 catches for a team-high 470 yards and four touchdowns. He caught 16 passes for 357 yards and two touchdowns in the four games he played after the mid-season coaching change, adding an 88-yard punt return for touchdown in that stretch.
“The last year has been unforgettable and I will always cherish the memories I have made at this great university,” Tyson wrote on social media. “I believe that (transferring) is the best choice for me at this time in my career and I am excited to see what the future holds.”
Taylor started 10 games last season and made 12 starts in 23 games played during his two seasons in Boulder. He had 29 tackles, two pass breakups and an interception last season.
Mack, a junior college transfer last year, played in 11 games with four starts in 2022. He finished fourth on the team with 46 tackles.
Robinson played in 23 games during his time at CU, catching nine passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. He had three catches for 31 yards last season.
Grant played in all 12 games last season and 17 games during his two years at CU. He had 15 tackles and two tackles for loss in 2022.
Oliver played in all 12 games as a true freshman last season at cornerback, recording 11 tackles as a reserve. Austin and Aubrey Smith each played in 11 games, mainly on special teams, last year as true freshmen.
A junior college transfer in 2022, Harkey played in 12 games, mostly on special teams, in his one season at CU. Xavier Smith was injured most of last season, but made his collegiate debut in the season finale.
Anderson, Bowser, Page, Salave’a and Venn never appeared in a game for the Buffs.
Lemonious-Craig, who was CU’s leader in receptions (23) last year and a star in Saturday’s spring game, is already blowing up in recruiting. On Monday, he announced he’s received offers from Arizona, Auburn, BYU, California, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Mississippi State, Oregon State, Penn State, Washington State and West Virginia, among others.
CU currently has 68 scholarship players projected for next season, giving Sanders 17 open spots to work with at the moment.
