Deion Sanders had trouble uttering Dominiq Ponder’s name.
The Colorado coach spoke with the media Friday for the first time since the death of the 23-year-old Buffaloes quarterback, who was involved in a fatal single-car crash early Sunday morning in Boulder, and several days later, Sanders struggled to make sense of the tragedy that has shaken his program in the first week of spring practices.
“It is my understanding as a father that when we send our kids to college, we send our kids to college mature, progress, learn who he or she is and come back with something that they glean from their colleges, whether it’s a degree, an opportunity to be a professional or just maturation,” Sanders said. “We don’t send a kid to college not to come back and that’s the most painful thing that I’m dealing with.”
CU will host a memorial service for Ponder on Saturday at noon in the Glenn Miller Ballroom, located inside the University Memorial Center (UMC) on campus. The event is open to the public with doors opening at 11:30 a.m., but space is so limited that there will also be a livestream for those who cannot attend.
FILE — Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder (22) warms up before an NCAA college football game Sept. 14, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Buffs are also going to wear a patch on their jerseys this season honoring Ponder with several players mentioning this week that the team is dedicating this season to their late teammate.
“This is a walk-on kid that was a bona fide leader, who ran our quarterback room up until his passing,” Coach Prime said. “We love him, we’re gonna appreciate him and we’re gonna focus on the positive things he brought to us.
“He was one of my favorites. I love him.”
While he knows his players are still grieving and likely will be for some time, Sanders’ message to his team this week in the first week of spring practices had an eye toward the future.
“We gotta keep going,” Sanders said. “We’re gonna love (Ponder), we’re gonna appreciate him, we’re gonna uplift him and support the family, friends, loved ones — but we’ve got to keep going.
“They’ve been wonderful. They’ve been so good and so mature. It don’t make you soft for a man to cry. I want them to do that if they feel it. This ain’t no joke. Some of the players, this is the first time they’ve dealt with losing someone and you gotta respect that, so I’m advising our coaching staff that we’re gonna push ‘em on the field but we’re gonna love ‘em just as hard.”
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders during an NCAA football game against TCU on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. TCU won 35-21. (AP Photo/Mike Buscher)
That has led to what Sanders has described as a productive first week back on the practice field. The Buffs added a few dozen new players to the program this offseason, the majority of whom came from the transfer portal once again, but Coach Prime made a point to mention he and his staff hand-selected each new addition to the roster.
Sanders also said he believes this is the best coaching staff — one that features two new coordinators and several new assistants — that he’s assembled during his tenure “by far.”
“These practices have been phenomenal,” Coach Prime said. “The energy of the coaching staff has been extraordinary and the support staff all around has been so darn helpful and on their game. I’m really thankful and appreciative of what I see right now. I’m happy.”