In his last media appearance before kickoff, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders took the podium to share his thoughts on Colorado’s rematch against Georgia Tech, without revealing much about his strategy.
The Buffaloes will travel to Atlanta on Tuesday to prepare for Thursday night's game against the Yellow Jackets. After a month's worth of practice against each other, Sanders is ready to see his squad take on a different color.
“These young men are excited; they can't wait to go. It seems like they've been practicing forever. But they hadn't let up,” Sanders said. “You could still see the intensity and the passion, and we were in shells (helmet and shoulder pads only) today.”
The intensity at practice and the emphasis on physical play and effort have given Sanders confidence in his team.
“They're getting to the ball. Linemen are getting down the field, making their blocks, doing some phenomenal things outside as well as with the running game,” Sanders said. ”I'm happy with where they are. They're excited about and anticipating Thursday night.”
In 2025, the Buffs lost at home 27-20 against the Yellow Jackets. With four new coordinators between Sanders’ and GT head coach Brent Key’s staffs, this year’s matchup will be entirely different than the Week 1 showdown a year ago.
On Colorado’s side, Sanders will be watching defensive coordinator Chris Marve and offensive coordinator Brennan Marion closely.
“I want to see how they get to the ball defensively because Marve has them flying. When you fly to the ball like that, you should see turnovers consequently,” Sanders said. “I want to see the explosiveness of some of the backs that we have, because we've been seeing it.”
During this week’s coaches' meetings, Sanders has talked about expectations for the game with his staff. Still, he pushes the new coordinators to be even more locked in for game week. As the Buffs set for their first test of 2026, there is new belief.
“I challenged them tremendously. We went out on the field and had a great practice. These coaches are really good. I've said that a multitude of times,” Sanders said. “I want you to truly believe me. Their communication with the young men that we have on the roster is second to none. It's some of the best I've ever seen.”
Other notable things Coach Prime said:
On practicing at night before the game… “We did it last year as well. You want to change the body times. You can't morning, morning, morning, then all of a sudden, you pop up at Georgia Tech, you got a night game, and everybody's sleepy around that time.
We'll have a walkthrough tomorrow evening around the same time that game time would be….We're just trying to make sure we dot I’s and cross T’s. That’s it.”
On stopping GT running back Justice Haynes…
“He's dynamic. He can score from anywhere on the field. He's tough, he's physical, he's been there, done that. We got to do what we got to do to keep him contained. We are fully aware of wherever he's gonna line up. On Thursday night, we will be aware of who he is.”
On Colorado’s RB room…
“You're going to see four running backs, I promise you–possibly five. You're gonna see that number because these guys…the skill set is so high in this area.
Some of these guys, a couple of them, could do everything. Some of them are really specialized; you may see bangers on 3rd and 1, 3rd and 2. But all these guys, they love the game. They want to excel in the game, and they want to go to the next level.”
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