Head football coach Deion Sanders turned Colorado into a national story in 2024. Nine wins. Travis Hunter winning the Heisman. The program was buzzing. Then 2025 happened.

Pete Fiutak of College Football News published his list of coaches who could be fired in 2026 on Thursday. Sanders was in it, and the reasoning was hard to push back on.

"You don't collapse as hard as Colorado did last season and not be slightly concerned if you're the head coach...They ended last season 0-5 by a combined score of 200 to 77... Sanders could survive one more losing season," Fiutak wrote. "But if it's as much of a struggle as the end of last year was, uh oh."

Colorado went 3-9 in 2025. The Buffaloes finished 1-8 in Big 12 play and lost their last five games by an average of nearly 25 points. That kind of collapse is hard to explain away.

Sanders is 16-21 overall in three seasons in Boulder. One great year sandwiched between two rough ones. That is the pattern that prompts people to ask questions.

The 2026 schedule is not kind either. Colorado opens at Georgia Tech, then faces Texas Tech, Utah, and is projected as an underdog in at least eight games. There is not much margin for error.

Sanders dealt with the aftermath of some serious health issues in the spring. He is healthy now and has been present in Boulder this offseason. He knows what is at stake.

"I'm ready to go coach my butt off this season," Sanders said. "I'm having a good time."

Colorado brought in 43 transfers for 2026 and hired new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion. Marion runs a fast-paced system that is very different from what the Buffaloes ran in 2025.

Sanders is staking his hope on this offseason overhaul. The roster has been remade almost entirely. Whether that translates into wins is the only thing that matters now.

Who is Julian Lewis, and why is he Colorado's Best Hope in 2026

The quarterback room looks nothing like it did last year. Redshirt freshman Julian Lewis is expected to start, and Sanders has been building around him since day one.

Lewis appeared in four games in 2025 and threw for 589 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Sanders made the call to redshirt him deliberately to protect his development.

"I want what's best for the kid, what's best for his family, what's best for this wonderful university," Sanders said.

Lewis chose Colorado over USC, telling ESPN he trusts Sanders and OC Pat Shurmur to develop him into the player he wants to be.

If Lewis delivers, Sanders has something to point to. If he does not, the questions about his job get louder fast.

Do you think Deion Sanders will keep his job at Colorado after the 2026 season? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi