Former Colorado players reveal flip side of Deion Sanders' coaching during their playtime with Buffs - "Expectations weren’t met"

The story of Colorado and Deion Sanders is one of hope. He came into the Buffaloes program and ignited the hopes of a dormant giant. But at the end of the season, many of those hopes were shattered as Colorado struggled to put wins on the board.

Coach Prime's players always have good things to say about their head coach. But there are some who weren't as impressed as the others. Players who faced the axe due to the overhaul of the roster after Sanders’ arrival mentioned the flip side of his coaching.

Here is what two ex-Colorado Buffaloes players said about what they saw in Deion Sanders' coaching methods during their time in Boulder.

Former Colorado OL Luke Eckardt was one of the players who had to leave Boulder when Sanders came in. He transferred to Iowa Western Community College. Now playing as their left tackle, Eckardt’s words seemed to suggest that he felt unwanted with Colorado.

“So far, these people have been the only ones who have shown me that they really wanted me here," Eckardt said in an AP interview.

Former Colorado defensive back Xavier Smith talked about the expectations he had from Coach Prime and how they weren't met.

“We all have expectations of a coach and I just feel like those expectations weren’t met," Smith said.

Sanders put a lot of players on the chopping block as he brought in transfers to replace them at the start of his Colorado reign. He had set an FBS record with 52 recruitments through the transfer portal, including Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. But the team could not perform as expected under his coaching.

The first year of Deion Sanders as coach of Colorado

Colorado started the season with a bang and won their first three games. They looked like the formidable team everybody imagined they would be under Deion Sanders' coaching. But it all came crashing down in Week 4 against the Oregon Ducks and beyond. From there on, it looked like a completely different team.

Colorado Washington St Football: Colorado coach Deion Sanders, center, runs out with the team before an NCAA college football game against Washington State, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, in Pullman, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

After the first three wins, Colorado lost eight of the next nine games. Their only win in this stretch came against the Arizona State Sun Devils in Week 6. And although they improved their record from 1-11 last season to 4-8 in 2023, it was still below expectations for their head coach. Will Coach Prime fill up the holes and come back stronger next season?