Deion Sanders has, at minimum, 42 new players coming into his Colorado Buffaloes program via the NCAA Transfer Portal; 37 players are exiting the program via the Portal, per 247Sports.

And Coach Prime is merely three years removed from one of college football’s largest-ever roster overhauls after he brought in more than 70 new players to Colorado in his first season as head coach.

The point? Sanders is accustomed to welcoming in student-athletes from other programs. He is refusing to become accustomed to seeing players donning the gear of their previous stops.

He’s letting that inarguable rule be known to Colorado’s 2026 squad, which also is welcoming in several new players. 

“Don’t wear your old team’s gear in this facility,” Sanders said in a team meeting, video of which was shared on social media. “That’s disrespectful.”

Sanders, warning players he’ll call their parents to come observe practice “so they can see who you really are,” also is outlining Colorado’s fine structure for the coming season. 

With players legally making more money than at any previous point in collegiate athletics, Sanders also is implementing what appear to be some of college football’s steepest fines.

Consider, per Sanders, the following penalties, several of which are at or more than $1,000 per violation:

» $2,500 fine for “No show to practice”

» $2,000 fine for “No show to meeting or film session”

» $1,500 fine for “No show to strength and conditioning workout”

» $1,500 fine for “No show to treatment”

» $1,000 fine for either being late to therapy treatment or strength and conditioning workout

» $2,000 to $5,000 fine for “Public or social media misconduct”

» $1,000 to $2,500 fine for “Violation of team rules (based on severity)”

Sanders also cautioned his players against the use of profane language or what he deemed as disrespectful treatment of the females in and around the Colorado Buffaloes football program. 

“The profanity needs to stop,” Sanders told the team. “I heard it myself in the dining area. It needs to stop. 

“And make sure that we respect our women. If you get out of pocket and calling our women by their first name, that’s a problem with me.” 

Sanders, after experiencing record-breaking success atop the Football Championship Subdivision, HBCU Jackson State program prior to his arrival at Colorado in late 2022, is seeking his second winning season entering his fourth year at Colorado.

In 2024, the Buffaloes produced the Heisman Trophy winner in Travis Hunter, eventual first-round NFL Draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and also Cleveland Browns selection Shedeur Sanders, Coach Prime’s son and a star quarterback at Colorado.

Aside from that nine-win campaign, Colorado is 7-17 in its other two seasons under Coach Prime.

The Buffaloes kick off their 2026 season Sept. 5 at Georgia Tech in the return trip of the two teams’ home-and-away series, which saw the Yellow Jackets win at Colorado to open the 2025 season.