Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders opened Monday’s presser, followed by new quarterbacks coach AJ Smith, wide receivers coach Rashad Davis and returner Joseph Williams.
While Sanders covered everything from prepping for Georgia Tech to recruiting to Shilo Sanders’s bankruptcy trial, Smith discussed his coaching background while Davis and Williams talked about the receiving room.
(BuffStampede’s Leopoldo Rivera IV wrote about Williams here: https://www.buffstampede.com/articles/how-joseph-williams-trust-in-rashad-davis-kept-him-in-boulder)
(Article on Smith being written…)
Belief in the roster
Since Big 12 football media days in July, CU has shared about how tight-knit the program has become.
So, when Sanders was asked how he’s developed as a coach through four fall camps in Boulder, it made sense that he feels that’s where he’s made his biggest strides.
“I'm getting to know them a lot more; they're getting to know me a lot more,” Sanders said. “Just getting to know these young men and their likes and dislikes and who they really are away from the game, that's appeasing to me. It really is, and I love them. I love them to life.”
He feels he’s allowing his guys to really open up, mentioning that one of his players brought him banana pudding as their way of saying, “we good?”
Sanders made it clear that the camaraderie starts with the coaching staff, and in turn, the on-the-field product does, too.
Yet, the Buffs have adopted leaders, dating back to the 20 players that Coach Prime brought on his summer retreat; those men are still leading the team. And it’s trickled to the rest of the guys, with the roster opting for at least three hours of film on the Tuesday before Georgia Tech.
With chemistry building toward what the Black-and-Gold will bring to the gridiron, Sanders knows the talent on his roster will also be a factor in posting a better season than a year ago.
“We got better players,” Sanders said. “We got better individuals that can really do the job. So that's what makes us better.”
More on the Go-Go offense
While Sanders has addressed the Go-Go offense several times, Smith and Williams had yet to speak on the “exotic” system.
For the 37-year-old Smith, who is coming off this past season of offensive coordinating the St. Louis Battlehawks in the UFL, he learned the offense through his past.
“It's been a real easy transition for me to learn it,” Smith said. “You wouldn't think about it, but all of his stuff at its core is West Coast offense, and that's a language we speak at the pro level. So once I learned that, and then was able to incorporate some of the other things he does to get the plays out, it's been real easy for me.”
And while Williams is somewhat new as well, starting to find himself in the system now that he’s returned from injury, he and the receiver room understand that the offense is designed to get all of CU’s talented pass-catchers the ball; everyone has to be ready for when their number is called.
“There could be points in the game where we play rock, paper, scissors for who go out there; we're all super talented,” Williams said. “So it's whoever we feel like is eating that game, having the best game, or it could be a certain moment where he's probably the best fit for that play.”
Williams also touched on how Brennan Marion, a former wide receiver, crafted his offense to benefit receivers while still emphasizing running the football.
“With the two backs, you think you could stack the box and try to stop the run game, but we got a bunch of receivers who can go,” Williams said. “If you think he could try to double team us, we got a bunch of backs who can go. So I feel like our offense is super deadly.”
CU looking at Georgia Tech
Coach Prime can’t wait to get on the grass at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field.
“I have no nostalgia,” Sanders said about the upcoming trip to Atlanta. “But it's a game, man, that I want to win very badly.”
Williams, who missed 2025’s season finale due to injury, also has extra motivation: he aims to prove he’s an even better player than he was last year.
However, it’s not just those two; the entire team has motivation.
From hopes of bouncing back from a down year that began with a loss to GT to excitement for new talent to playing former Buffs, Colorado doesn’t meed much more for inspiration. Sanders expects the teams to offer similar styles, adding to the fun.
“It really is because we're doing primarily the same thing they're doing,” Sander said. “I admire and respect their head coach [Brent Key] so darn much. It is unbelievable.”
In terms of preparation, though, Sanders feels the Buffs are where they need to be, and the expected lights aren’t scaring his program, but firing them up.
“They're prepared. They're no rookies,” Sanders said of his coordinators, who he confirmed will be on-field. “They're not new to this. They're true to this.”
Outlook on Julian Lewis, the QBs
When Sanders was asked about quarterback Julian Lewis, he didn’t offer much; he doesn’t want to add pressure to his young QB or fuel any media narratives. He just wants his QB to do what the staff asks.
“All we're looking for is to execute the plays,” Sanders said. “Throw the ball to the man that's open, and we're good. We're going to move down the field. We have a really good coordinator. We have a really good offensive line. We have some really good backs, and Danny [Scudero] and the guys will be back.”
Smith, however, was more open and more pleased about his position room.
Coming from the UFL, where his quarterback room was in their late 20s and early 30s, he had seen grown men approach playing the position. CU’s young trio of QBs match that amount of preparation and passion.
“Each one of them has things they do at a very high level, and then each one of them has things they can work on, and they figure it out, and they go out there and do it,” Smith said. “To see their work habits and their desire, it’s at the pro level. So that's been impressive so far.”
Williams can see the approach paying off in Lewis, specifically, saying he’s more vocal, looking to break down team huddles and lead push-ups.
Davis speaks on receiving core
The wide receiver room has arguably brought the most excitement of any position group at CU. From returners in Williams, Quentin Gibson and Kam Perry to incomers in Scudero and Moore, there are a handful of names to get giddy about.
Naturally, that’s why Davis spoke so highly of the group.
He mentioned how Moore brings a professional approach that has led the entire room, and specifically helped a guy like Williams. And for Williams, with whom he has a special connection, he can’t wait to see him back on the field.
While those two, along with Scudero and Perry, dealt with injury last offseason, limiting CU’s time of having all four of them on the field together, the injuries have given guys more reps and built anticipation for when the core four gets to line up alongside each other in Week 1.
“Those guys that spend some time off, they're taking the right steps as far as getting back and helping their teammates,” Davis said. “That's one of the biggest pieces that they do. They want to get back to help this team, and they're doing everything in their ability and their power to do that, and you will see all of us full-fledged head of steam when we take on Georgia Tech.”
Davis said he’s been looking forward to the moment for quite some time, especially after Scudero, Moore and Williams called him during the summer and “it’s over” for opponents because of how much work they have put in.
Beyond those guys, players like Hykeem Williams have come along, as well. As a returner, he’s brought leadership, which has helped the room mesh. And with Gibson and Quanell Farrakahn Jr., the younger guys of the group, they have taken leaps in their preparation and work ethic; they’ve been showing up to the facility at 5 a.m.
With an invigorated Davis leading the room, taking the wide receiver coaching position from his mentor Jason Phillips, the passion is radiating across the position, living by “one mind, one mission; one goal, one vision.”
“This is the highest I've ever been in my career,” Davis said. “But this is the lowest that you'll ever see me.”
Comments on recruiting
Q: What was your challenge to offensive line coach Gunnar White and the entire staff when it came to recruiting the 2027 class?
A: “I just got more involved than I previously have been, and we just took more onus on what we wanted. I set the vision. We attacked what we wanted, and we split the areas. Obviously, Gunnar coming up in Mississippi, that's his zone. It's almost like some coaches do it differently. They got certain areas, but I don't want a DB coach in Mississippi talking to linemen. That don't make no sense. You don't know if he's good or not. You see the practice there [and say] ‘Well, he looks good.’ No, he was big. You don't know if he looked good, so we send guys out where that class of talent is, and make sure they have the measurables and everything else fits. And then when they make it through like three of our must-haves, they come in and I get to interrogate them a little bit and see if they could cut it, and they've done a great job. We're going to have guys decommit. That happens. We're going to have other guys commit that you didn't think about that we already knew we had, but we never said anything about it. But it's like that. That's just the game of recruiting nowadays. And don't think that money is not a factor because it is with a lot of these kids. I'm not new to Gunnar's work. Gunnar came from Jackson with us. You guys are new to Gunnar's work. I'm not new to who Gunnar is and why he's on the coaching staff as the offensive line coach. Gunnar is Gunnar. He's been the same guy since the day I met him.”
Q: With around 20 guys on the roster from Georgia, what about that state breeds talent?
A: “That's the South, man. That's the South. How prominent has the University of Georgia been in the last decade? Prominent Alabama? prominent. You know those schools from the South, [like] Clemson. You know all those schools. So it's a bed of talent there, and we've been able to penetrate that bed and grab some great players out of there. And they're excited about going home. They're excited about putting on in front of their families. They're excited about a multitude of things, and I'm excited for them. I just told them, don't just don't give us a penalty. Make it to the sideline and celebrate. I know that's a lot coming from me as a coach. But I never belittled my opponent, and I never got flagged for excessive celebration. Although I may have looked excessive, it wasn't excessive. But I don't mind them celebrating. I want them to have a good time. But understand it. When I have conversations like that, that means I already feel like they're going to make plays. I'm confident that they're going to make plays, and they're going to want to celebrate. I'm just trying to guide them and coach them. Just come to our sideline and do whatever dance you want to do, as long as it's on our sideline and I'm good. Do not get us 15 [yards] because I'm sitting you in the locker room with your mouthpiece in.”
Other names mentioned…
- Sanders on GM David Kelly: “Coach Kelly, I've been knowing him since I played for the Atlanta Falcons, and we had a relationship since then. I don't think you guys know [the history of] some of our relationships that we have in this program. You think we just grab a guy off the street sometimes. You don't understand. Relationships is what substantiates certain things in success. We've been knowing each other for a long time since he kicked butt and won a state title in Atlanta. So he was the first one to offer Shedeur [Samders] when they were at Oregon. He and Willie Taggart – Willie Taggart has been my guy for a long time. So what he brings to the table is phenomenal. You can't quantify it. You can't. You really don't understand it unless you know ball and know the inner workings of a program. But he's worth his weight in gold. And he's a good man. He's a good brother, man.”
Coach Prime touches on Shilo Sanders’ lawsuit
Based on Sanders’ reaction when asked about his son and former Buffaloes safety, Shilo, and the subpoena Sanders received ordering him to testify in Shilo’s bankruptcy case the week of the season-opener, he isn’t worried.
“Do you think that's my first subpoena?” Sanders asked. “When you have ‘it’, when you him, when you ‘that’, you get sued…I don't know anyone that's a game changer, a playmaker that is not dealing with some type of lawsuit.”
Shilo’s bankruptcy stems from a 2015 event where he allegedly assaulted John Darjean, a security officer at his high school who was trying to confiscate his phone. While Sanders and the school reached a confidential agreement in 2019 about the alleged incident where Shilo was awarded money, and the school was dismissed from the case – prompting Coach Prime to ask reporters if they knew that Shilo had “won” his case on Monday – Darjean wasn’t dismissed, allowing him to pursue further legal action. Darjean eventually had a 2022 trial set up, suing Shilo for $11.89 million. But Shilo didn’t attend the trial, declared bankruptcy and now faces the current trial, which is set to begin on Aug. 31.
Players Mentioned
Coaches Mentioned
