"Deion Sanders was destroying guys' confidence": Former Buffs safety Xavier Smith makes bold revelation amid Colorado's transfer portal chaos

Former Colorado Buffaloes safety Xavier Smith has spoken out against former coach Deion Sanders.

Smith told The Athletic that he was not happy with how Sanders handled the large turnover of roster talent during the buildup to the 2023 season.

"He was destroying guys' confidence and belief in themselves," Smith said. "The way he did it, it could've been done with a little more compassion."

After he arrived in Boulder, Sanders made many changes to the program, leading to the large turnover of players.

On one occasion, according to The Athletic's article, 20 players entered the transfer portal in the days following the Buffaloes' spring game. In total, 53 players transferred.

While many remained in Division I, some fell back to Division II or even junior college. Three players have never played college football since leaving CU.

However, Sanders is a strong recruiter, and the players he got rid of were quickly replaced by others. Overall, there were 87 new faces on the Buffaloes' roster when the 2023 season began.

The new Buffaloes (which included two of Deion Sanders's sons, Shedeur Sanders at quarterback and Shilo Sanders at safety) started the season well, defeating TCU, the runner-up in the previous national championship game, in their opener, in a 3-0 start. But they then struggled and ended the season with a 4-8 record.

Deion Sanders and his treatment of returning players

The impact that the new arrivals in players and coach on the more experienced Colorado Buffaloes players, who were part of the program before the arrival of Deion Sanders, has also been discussed.

Former Buffaloes wide receiver Chase Sowell told the Athletic that every practice session felt like a tryout for those returning players, which did not create a suitable environment for the team to develop together, according to Sowell.

"We felt like it was us versus them instead of all of us together," Sowell said.

This pressure was only increased, according to Sowell, when the cameras filming an Amazon documentary were present, as well as Deion Sanders Jr. filming for his YouTube channel.

"It kinda felt like a reality TV show," Sowell said.

Xavier Smith and Chase Sowell are now at different programs. Smith is with UTEP, and Sowell is with East Carolina. While neither of these programs is at the same level as the Colorado Buffaloes, they are able to play, something that they could not do with the Buffaloes.

As for Deion Sanders, he is faced with the same problem this season, as many players have entered the transfer portal.

Do you think that Deion Sanders's treatment of his players is fair?