The Deion Sanders era at Colorado kicks off Saturday as the Buffaloes travel to No. 17 TCU at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. Sanders dominated headlines all offseason after adding more than 70 new names to his roster, easily the most comprehensive one-year transformation in college football history. The Buffs still face some major holes on the roster after a 1-11 campaign a year ago.
The Horned Frogs earned a trip to the College Football Playoff National Championship in Sonny Dykes’ first season but are replacing several key pieces from that run. Eight players were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, including first-round receiver Quentin Johnston. Now, Chandler Morris takes over for Heisman Trophy finalist Max Duggan at quarterback.
While TCU and Colorado will share Big 12 membership in 2024, the two institutions never played until the Horned Frogs beat the Buffaloes 38-13 in 2022. Morris threw 20 passes for 11 yards before suffering a major injury in the win.
Colorado vs. TCU: Need to know
Roster transformation at Colorado: Sanders’ one-year roster flip is legitimately unprecedented, especially at this level. Colorado added 51 transfers, including 27 from the power conference ranks and 10 from Sanders’ previous stop at Jackson State. Only four position players are projected to be returning players from the 2022 roster, most notably being safety Trevor Woods. Sanders is betting that talent will ultimately win out and bring positive results, but no one has ever tried a strategy this aggressive.
Key transfers at TCU: After losing several key players to the NFL, Dykes looked to the transfer portal and found answers in football’s signature program. Three key players joined TCU from Alabama: Receiver JoJo Earle, running back Trey…
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