Analyst: There’s ‘legitimate NFL talent’ at Colorado in 2023
Colorado football has “legitimate NFL talent” with the likes of 2022’s No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter, Deion Sanders’ son Shedeur, and talent across all five Power Five conferences having transferred to Boulder following the Buffaloes’ hiring of Coach Prime. 247Sports’ Chris Hummer classified the incoming group as potential “transfer portal boons.”
“There is legitimate NFL talent at Colorado thanks to some transfer portal boons,” Hummer prefaced before saying, “The Buffaloes have an above average quarterback (Shedeur Sanders), deep skill rooms and one of the better cornerback duos in the country. They also have Sean Lewis as offensive coordinator, and his system provides a high floor as we saw annually at Kent State.”
Hummer did express worry about the team’s offensive line play, which coupled with the increase in competition from the SWAC to the Pac-12, should help contribute to Sanders having trouble replicating his success with Jackson State. There is enough talent on that defense, though, between Hunter, Miami flip Cormani McClain, FSU transfer Brendan Gant, and Clemson transfer Vonta Bentley for there to be a few future NFLers if enough things break right in Boulder.
Colorado football could make Big 12 for financial reasons
As Greg Swaim revealed on his radio show, Colorado football has taken major financial losses — something all the programs CU left behind in the Big 12 didn’t do — in the last decade and a half; losses to the tune of $70 million.
. @GSwaim on why he thinks Colorado will join the #Big12:
— Benjamin Criddle (@CriddleBenjamin) July 22, 2023
"... Colorado lost nearly $70 million versus what the Big 12 schools made since they left in 2010. ... I think you'll see Colorado make the jump, I really do. I don't think they can afford not to."
PC: @espn
Listen:… pic.twitter.com/7rL0is3UOl
“Colorado lost nearly $70 million versus what the Big 12 schools made since they left in 2010,” Swaim prefaced before saying, “I think you’ll see Colorado make the jump, I really do. I don’t think they can afford not to.”
Such a jump would likely be good for Colorado, with the Big 12 host to some of the fastest-rising programs in the country, including UCF and Cincinnati, as of the 2023 season. Even when Texas and Oklahoma leave for the SEC, the Big 12 will still feature programs that tend to make noise every other year like Oklahoma State, Baylor, and more recently, TCU.
Who says no to the Buffs in the Big 12? Not Colorado.