Deion Sanders names surprising Colorado football starter

Deion Sanders named Charlie Offerdahl RB1 on the unofficial Colorado football depth chart during Big 12 media days amidst fervent defenses of his sons and his Buffs tenure. Offerdahl was formerly a walk-on.

“Just because Charlie Offerdahl had the title of a walk-on, you guys under estimate him, you look past him; I don’t,” Sanders said (h/t The Coloradoan). “I look at a man for who he is, not where he came from. Forget the small beginnings, he’s not a walk-on anymore, he’s a scholarship player and he’s the starter at this point. They have to beat him out.”

CU lost its entire running back room on scholarship in the offseason to the transfer portal. Evidently, neither of their Power 4 transfers, Ohio State's Dallan Hayden and Arkansas' Isaiah Augustave, were able to find their footing enough to steal a starting spot. DB Isaiah Hardge was Colorado's emergency starter at the Black and Gold spring game but Offerdahl won the spring.

Deion Sanders trusting in Colorado football incumbents

Everyone says Sanders' ego is too big to successfully coach, but repeatedly, Coach Prime has embraced lowly-rated underdogs on the roster after rising to the occasion. Ryan Staub after the Week 13 Utah game springs to mind. Sanders declared Staub starting material after that game.

Offerdahl is the latest to be trusted in a big spot despite not being a blue-chip recruit coming out of high school. Finding diamonds in the rough is as important as reeling in the big fish, and for every Jordan Seaton Sanders has brought to the Buffs, there's an Offerdahl to balance it out on the other end.

Behind a new offensive line, there could be massive improvements coming from the backfield. Offerdahl has the chance to be a beneficiary of an overhauled offensive line; one that has some question marks from analysts too.