Shedeur Sanders’ 2023 Colorado football campaign was called the most difficult year of any CU player by BuffsBeat’s Brian Schaible — who referenced the injuries that came as a result of the Pac-12-worst offensive line play in front of (or at least should’ve been in front of) him.
“Although things have been tough overall for the Colorado Buffaloes in their inaugural season with Coach Prime, no single player has had a more difficult year than quarterback Shedeur Sanders,” Schaible prefaced before saying, “Sanders was sacked more than any other quarterback in all of college football. Then, he had to sit out the final Utah game with a fractured back.”
From a pain standpoint, it’s hard to argue with Schaible. Sanders was clobbered game after game as Colorado’s offensive line forced him to become a hurry-up passer while simultaneously keeping the running back room from ever breaking out — and eventually, keeping the RBs from even getting a desired number of reps.
There was a Buff who may have had an even rougher go in 2023 for reasons beyond his control, though…
Travis Hunter had the most tragic Colorado football campaign of any Buff
Travis Hunter wasn’t too far behind Shedeur in the pain department in 2023, with a dirty hit from Colorado State’s Henry Blackburn giving the two-way star a lacerated liver during the Week 3 Rocky Mountain Showdown between CSU and CU.
He was far behind in games played, though, playing two fewer games — games that had meaning when the Buffs were 3-0 — than Sanders and seeing his Heisman hopes die off quicker than any other candidate in the country. Of course, whether any Buff should’ve been in that conversation to begin with is questionable, but that’s not the point here.
Hunter and Shedeur are both guaranteed to have more fortunate runs in 2024. If that’s the case, Colorado may just exceed expectations again during the second year of the Coach Prime era in Boulder.