“It’s worse than free agency”: Warren Sapp rips apart the transfer portal after losing key Colorado players

NCAA Football: North Dakota State at Colorado - Source: Imagn — Warren Sapp shared his thoughts on the transfer portal.- Source: Imagn

It's safe to say Warren Sapp is not a fan of the transfer portal. The Colorado Buffaloes' defensive line coach believes the portal puts schools at a disadvantage when building their programs.

In this week's edition of "Wednesdays with Warren", the Pro Football Hall of Famer shared his thoughts on the transfer portal and the difficulty schools face in trying to keep up.

"It's worse than free agency... because (in) free agency, you had a point where we already knew he wanted to be a free agent," Warren Sapp said (4:19 mark).

"We don't talk to him about this. It's this surprise thing that's killing me. And then when I call you, you can't give me a straight answer. Then you will tell me, 'Well, I'm looking out for myself.' Brother, I'm here to look out for you."

Warren Sapp's comments come as Colorado has seen six players enter the portal during the spring window, including two defensive linemen: defensive end Taje McCoy and lineman Chijoke Nwankwo.

McCoy was one of the most consistent players along the defensive line. He was third on the team with four sacks and received honorable mention Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors.

Nwankwo, the brother of star defensive lineman Chidozie Nwankwo, was a walk-on and may be looking for more playing time elsewhere.

Other notable Colorado players to enter the transfer portal include safety Savion Riley, freshman All-America center Cam Cleveland and leading rusher Isaiah Augustave.

Coach Prime’s squad has added wide receiver Sincere Brown and offensive tackle Xavier Hill.

After finishing last season 9-4 and earning a trip to the Alamo Bowl, the Buffaloes will see considerable roster turnover heading into the 2025 season. Sapp’s unit was key to Colorado’s success in 2024, showing significant improvement from the previous year. The Buffaloes ranked 61st against the run and seventh in sack rate.

Warren Sapp chimes in on jersey retirements for Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter

There has been some controversy surrounding the recent announcement that Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter will have their jersey numbers retired by the school. However, Warren Sapp believes both players earned the honor.

"Our quarterback... holds every passing record at this university, and he was only here two years," Sapp said. "So if he played four, it would be something that's untouchable. It wouldn't be close. And the other fella. You gotta rebuild the trophy room because of him."

Sanders and Hunter played only two years at Colorado after beginning their college careers at Jackson State. In 24 games, Sanders broke more than 100 school records, while Hunter became just the second Colorado player ever to win the Heisman Trophy.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro