Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders put the nation on notice after last Saturday’s win over then #17 TCU and immediately caught the attention of some of the nation’s best recruits. The number one recruit in the 2025 class, five-star QB Bryce Underwood, will be visiting Boulder for the USC game and 2025 four-star QB Antwann Hill will visit for the Stanford…
The first fall camp of the Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders era is underway in Colorado and with that comes the next edition of DNVR’s Prime Tracker. After each practice under the Flatirons up until the week of the TCU game, you can find all of DNVR and Thee Pregame Show’s analysis and thoughts on each practice through camp here. Author’s…
(featured image credit: CU Athletics) After serving as Colorado’s running backs coach dating back to 2016, legendary Colorado quarterback Darian Hagan was one of two staff members to be retained by Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders from the old regime. Now serving as the Executive Director of Community Engagement & Outreach as well as Football Ambassador at Colorado, Hagan continues to…
Earlier this week Coach Prime and his staff brought in their 52nd transfer of the off-season in former JUCO QB Gavin Kuld. While Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr. among a handful of others are the headliners of this transfer class, it’s time we shine the spotlight on some other transfers who are primed to break out for…
Coach Prime has assembled one of the most fascinating rosters in the history of college football after he flipped Colorado’s roster this off-season. While some players stand out from the rest as obvious starters, there are multiple positions that are wide open as we approach the 2023 season. Last week on the DNVR Buffs Podcast we revealed our latest projected…
Colorado’s season came to a swift end after their second-round NIT loss to Utah Valley and it only took a matter of days before we saw three players enter the transfer portal and two players seek NBA Draft feedback. We are only one week into the off-season and Buffs’ roster is completely in flux. Five-star Cody Williams is coming along…
The Colorado Buffaloes Women’s Basketball team’s incredible 2022-2023 season has come to an end. After the Buffs produced upsets over #8 Utah, #14 Arizona and #8 UCLA it was obvious that this team was special. Colorado nearly knocked off #3 Stanford at the CU Events Center in their penultimate regular season game and put the basketball world on notice as…
Inconsistency has been the Colorado men’s basketball team’s calling card this season. After winning massive early season non-conference games against Tennessee and Texas A&M, the Buffs have disappointed in conference play. With only a couple of weeks left before tournament season, Will Darkey shared his thoughts on the season so far and which players and teams are worth keeping an…
Following KJ Simpson’s game-winner against Washington State, CU looked to capitalize on that big-time moment and start a new win streak in their trip up to Oregon. The Ducks and Beavers had different plans. Colorado finished their latest road trip 0-2, losing both contests in close efforts. As the Buffs continue to slip further down the Pac-12 standings, concern starts…
After two tough losses out west last week, Colorado looked to rebound with a two-game homestand hosting the Washington schools. The much-needed rebound eventually came on Sunday when Washington State came to town. However, Thursday’s troubling loss to Washington further exposed the Buffs’ weaknesses and now CU finds themselves toward the bottom of the Pac-12 standings. With another week in…
Another week out west did not spell success for Colorado. The Buffs took on the Los Angeles schools this past week, falling to quality teams in both USC and UCLA in close efforts. Losing close games to quality teams doesn’t move you up the Pac-12 standings though. Here are the three main takeaways from another worrisome road trip that leaves…
2023 is shaping up to be a year to remember for fans of the Colorado Buffaloes. Coach Prime is completely re-shaping and re-doing the football program and Tad Boyle has Buffs basketball on a role when it comes to the recruiting trail. Both programs are in great shape. With that being said, here are 20 predictions ahead of 2023. 1.…...
The Buffs started 2023 with a bang! After a head-scratching loss at Cal, the Buffs traveled back to the CU Events Center to face both Oregon schools. Tad Boyle and company dismantled both the Ducks and the Beavers at home, getting back to .500 in conference play. Here are the three takeaways from an encouraging weekend up in Boulder. Defensive…
Travis Hunter arrives at CU as the headliner that makes up Coach Prime’s “Louis luggage”. Last year, in his true freshman season Hunter proved immediately that his talent is as advertised.
While he will be facing a step-up in competition this season, last year at Jackson State Hunter provided some epic highlights at both cornerback and wide receiver.
In this edition of the Buffs Film Room, we break down Hunter’s best plays from the 2022 season and project which position he will have the greatest impact.
When Hunter committed to JSU, he threw a curveball into the college football landscape and certified Coach Prime as a force to be reckoned with as a recruiter.
Coach Prime’s playing career doesn’t need to be explained, but it made perfect sense that the best two-way player in the class decided he wanted to learn from one of the best two-way players and athletes of all time.
Hunter possesses the speed, length and ball skills to be a lockdown corner and he showed that consistently as a freshman at JSU.
Against Alcorn State, Hunter notched his first career pick-six. Let’s start from the very beginning with how Hunter covers the receiver’s release. He’s smooth and square until the receiver breaks towards the sideline and #12 is able to match him stride for stride and sit on the route just as the receiver does. The receiver is blanketed and the Florida native is able to win the battle for the football and take it back for six.
Now let’s focus on the ball skills. This pass is tipped at the line of scrimmage and Hunter makes an incredibly athletic play to try and scoop up the flailing ball. Hunter would fail to complete the catch on the play, but the athletic display is spectacular.
Later on against Texas Southern, we got a chance to see how Hunter operates in true one-on-one situations on an island. The receiver gains a step on Hunter off the line but like a veteran, Hunter shows no panic and chooses the perfect moment to play the ball and force a pass breakup.
This interception is the result of a poorly thrown football, but Hunter shows great ability to play zone and trail receivers down the field to take advantage of these opportunities. The catch is effortless and then the new Buff's natural talent as a runner takes over.
We will talk about more plays from this game later on, but watch how easy this is for Hunter. He shows his composure, quick feet and technique off the line on the receiver's release, and watch how easy it is for him to work over the pick route and nearly pick off another pass.
It’s only five clips but the talent is undeniable. Hunter shows better and cleaner movement skills, ball skills and technique than some of the players I watched for NFL Draft purposes last spring. It makes sense why he wanted to play under Coach Prime and learn from one of the best to ever do it.
Yes, these clips are against SWAC players but there is nothing to suggest that Hunter would not be able to create plays like that in the Pac-12 and Power 5 level.
There are things that need to be cleaned up and Hunter is by no means a finished product when it comes to development, but he’s not far off. As good of a player as he already is and can be at cornerback, there is a legitimate argument that Hunter is an even better wide receiver.
Two-way players are rare these days. And even the best of the “true” two-way players are only really great at one position. Travis Hunter is great at cornerback and wide receiver.
In a podcast with Shannon Sharpe in December, Coach Prime said, “That’s what he loves. There’s a love and a like. He loves to play receiver. DB is something that he can do, really well and better than a lot of others. But if I had to put my money on him, he loves catching that football a lot more than he loves defending it.”
The tipping point for Hunter and his ability as a receiver occurred in the 2022 Celebration Bowl. The former number one overall recruit became Shedeur Sanders’ go-to receiver in crunch time and was one of the reasons why Jackson State had a great shot at winning that football game.
Colorado’s men’s basketball team stumbled into the new year on a low note. After winning their first conference game of the season at Stanford, CU left Buff Nation shaking their heads after a puzzling loss to the lowly Cal Golden Bears. It was once again another volatile week for this unpredictable Buff team, and with that volatility comes three takeaways…
The Colorado Buffaloes have their quarterback. Sunday, Deion Sanders was introduced as the latest CU head football coach and he also introduced CU’s starting quarterback. Coach Prime’s son, Shedeur Sanders will be the man behind center for Colorado in 2023. He was a four-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting class who earned 26 offers that included Alabama, Michigan, Oregon and…
It doesn’t happen in real life.
When it happens in a movie, people roll their eyes.
Deus ex machina… Deion ex machina.
It’s Prime Time in Boulder! The Colorado Buffaloes have hired Deion Sanders to be their 28th head football coach. Sanders leaves Jackson State University after leading the Tigers to their second straight SWAC conference title. The Tigers beat the Southern Jaguars on Saturday, 43-24. For weeks, rumors have been circulating that CU leadership has been making changes to current restrictions…
J’Vonne Hadley’s journey to Boulder took a couple of detours through Northeastern and Indian Hills Community College but this season he has cemented himself as one of Colorado’s more impactful players. Coming into 2022-2023, Colorado had to replace starters Jabari Walker and Evan Battey after both moved on to the next level. Head coach Tad Boyle was vocal in the…
The commitments of Cody Williams and Assane Diop to Boulder and head coach Tad Boyle have Colorado’s basketball program riding a massive wave of momentum.
Even with the 2022-2023 team’s inconsistency so far, it’s tantalizing to imagine how all these pieces are going to fit together for 2023-2024.
Duvalier “Dev” Johnson, Content Specialist for Prep Hoods, has offered his analysis and insight to break down exactly what CU is getting from Cody Williams and Assane Diop.
Dev: Assane Diop checks off every single box that you want in a basketball player. He is a smooth and agile 6'10 player that puts the team first and truly loves the game. He is capable of stepping out and knocking down the 3-ball, is an athletic defender and is an excellent passer. You don't typically get playmakers at 6'10 that you can put the ball in their hands and they can make things happen and that is what separates Diop. He uses his long and slender frame to defend positions 1 through 4 and he moves his feet well to stay in front of defenders. Diop is an intriguing athlete with the right tools and he is going to benefit greatly from a program that allows players with his size to explore his game a bit.
Dev: In Cody Williams, Colorado is getting a humble competitor and winner. Williams led Perry to their 1st state championship. He is a balanced player that has all of the tools and with his size and ability to take over, Colorado is getting a player that they will be able to run an offense through. Williams is a hard worker that competes at a high level and is able to knock down the 3-ball but also gets into the open court to show off his athleticism.
He has the tools to be an elite defender who can stay in front of his defender, can guard multiple positions, and challenges himself on that end of the floor. What you don't see in the stat books but really pops is that you can tell that Williams is big on family as he spoke about the connectedness and togetherness of the Colorado men's basketball team and he wants to add and build on that culture. Colorado getting their first 5-star recruit that truly seems to be into what it is they are building is a tell-tale sign of great things to come. The future looks bright in Boulder.
Dev: The ceiling for Williams is...
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