Boulder is buzzing.
There is apparent dysfunction around the Colorado Buffaloes football program after 18 players entered the transfer portal on Monday.
As Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders continues to retool his roster, some players that have entered the portal claim the Hall of Famer is denying them access to their practice film.
The father of departing receiver Jordyn Tyson slammed Sanders in an interview the Denver Post, calling it an “ugly situation.”
“My thoughts on Deion wouldn’t be good, so I’m not going to say anything,” John Tyson told the paper. “It’s a bad situation for us as a family, I will say that. And it’s unfortunate, but it’s the nature of the system.”
On Tuesday, former Colorado tight end Zachary Courtney took to Twitter to inform potentially interested schools that he is “not allowed” to obtain his film from the 2022 season.
“For the coaches who are trying to recruit me,” Courtney wrote. “I am sorry but I will not be able to get y’all my film from my practices last season since I am not allowed to have it because the head coach at CU won’t allow it.”
Courtney insisted that his message was not “a shot” at Sanders.
“This is very unlucky and if you have any questions just text me!” he wrote.
“Again this is not a shot at Deion I just wanted coaches to know I have no film for them!!”
Courtney, who committed to Colorado in 2021, shared on social media last Wednesday that he was entering the portal — and reportedly announced a day later that he received offers from Coastal Carolina and Miami.
Colorado linebacker Kaden Ludwick, who also entered the transfer portal, quote-tweeted Courtney’s message with a bunch of exclamation points.
“@Vic6Venn and @TyasMartin2 tweeted their practice footage, why can’t @ZacharyCourtn11 get his?” one person asked, to which Ludwick replied: “They had that film recorded on their phones before the new staff.”
The user then tagged Rick George, Colorado’s director of athletics, and said, “That’s not right, hopefully @RickGeorgeCU can get them their film.”
Ludwick responded with: “We all need our film lol.”
Sanders and his staff took over the Buffaloes’ football program in December after he was hired from Jackson State.
At the time, the former NFL defensive back encouraged players to “go ahead and jump in that portal” and foreshadowed there would be changes to the roster in order to create a winning culture in Boulder.
Colorado posted a 1-11 record in 2022.
The exodus occurred after Saturday’s Black and Gold spring game brought in a packed crowd of 45,000 at Folsom Field.
On Monday, Tyson, fellow wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig — who led the team in receptions and receiving yards, respectively, in 2022 — along with the Buffaloes’ leading rusher, Deion Smith, entered the portal.
Safety Tyrin Taylor, wide receiver Chase Sowell, linebackers Shakaun Bowser and Aubrey Smith, as well as cornerbacks Ju’Juan Johnson and Jason Oliver, are also part of the mass exodus.
“You all know we’re gonna move on from some of the team members, and we gonna reload,” Sanders said Saturday.
“We’ve got to get some kids we really identify with, so this process is going to be quick. It’s going to be fast, but we gonna get it done.”
Following Monday’s departures, Colorado has now seen 46 scholarship football players enter the transfer portal in 2022-23, with 41 leaving since Sanders took over, according to The Athletic — which reported that no other Power 5 program has lost more than 29 in this cycle.
The Buffaloes had 83 scholarship players at the start of the 2022 season — and only 20 are left on the roster as of Monday.
Colorado added a number of key players in the first transfer portal window, including Sanders’ son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who followed him from Jackson State.
Tight end Seydou Traore also arrived from Arkansas State, as well as Arkansas edge rusher Jordan Domineck and linebacker Demouy Kennedy from Alabama.
Sanders posted a 25-7 record across three seasons as head coach of Jackson State.
𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀, 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 & 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘆: nypost.com
𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗠𝗖𝗔,
𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗮𝘁 dmca@enspirers.com
