Colorado football has had many successes this season and outperformed everyone’s expectations at the beginning of the season. Remember, the Buffs’ over/under win total was a measly 3.5 wins and they surpassed that on October 7.
With that being said, there were some big mistakes made by the program that have prevented them from reaching an elite level this season.
These are the biggest disappointments for Colorado football in 2023
Coach Prime kept it real when a reporter asked what exactly does 5 Star Freshman Cormani McClain need to do in order to get playing time 💯💯💯
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) September 26, 2023
🎥: @CUBuffsFootball pic.twitter.com/0dXPoJiODC
Benching Cormani McClain
The five-star high school recruit who flipped from Miami to Colorado was benched by Coach Prime early on and called out publically by the first-year Buffs HC.
Deion Sanders believed some bad habits led to his benching, but the team needed his defensive presence to help impact games sooner than when he was unleashed. The decision to bench such a highly talented player now runs a lot of risk because that could stick with the DB and may even lead to him transferring from the program.
While he has seen playing time as the season progressed, McClain could have helped Colorado pick up more wins this season had he been featured from the jump.
Regarding Colorado and Sean Lewis. Alot of people don't know Sean Lewis but he is possibly a top 10 offensive mind in CFB. I was freaked out he took the job tbh.
— Eddie Drnkyourmlkshk (@walls_edward) November 3, 2023
What a hire!
To demote him publicly and announce a slower offense is a first ever I can recall. It's 😂 bad
Demoting Sean Lewis
Sean Lewis had done an excellent job all season with CU’s offense; with Shedeur Sanders playing at a very high level and shining every week. The decision to change something that was working on November 3 well may have hurt the Buffs.
With how the offense was looking under Lewis, you can only assume many of the players were not crazy about that move. A massive change like this can mess up the morale of a team and could explain the struggles Colorado had since.
Deion Sanders isn't backing down from his decision to demote offensive coordinator Sean Lewis.
— Brotips (@brotips) November 7, 2023
Read more: https://t.co/Mc1uWJsT80 https://t.co/Mc1uWJsT80
Not demoting Sean Lewis sooner
The craziest part of Lewis’ demotion was the timing of it. To let go of a coach while the team is in the middle of the season and competing for bowl game eligibility is a major head-scratcher.
If Coach Prime truly believed Lewis was not the right person for the job, he should have made that decision a lot sooner.
Perhaps the program’s planned turnaround could’ve begun sooner.