Coach Deion Sanders has set new rules for Colorado Buffaloes football players as the team heads into Year Three of his tenure in Boulder. The guidelines, focused on classroom conduct and personal discipline, were issued ahead of the start of the fall semester.
In a behind-the-scenes film session released by Deion Sanders Jr.’s Well Off Media on August 20, Sanders addressed his team about expectations on campus. He told players, “We start school tomorrow… So this evening everything is off. I want you guys to make sure you have all your supplies for school. You understand what supplies are? Correct. Okay. You’re going to be off because I want you to get all your supplies for school. Get ready. No slides. If I see you with slides on campus tomorrow, it’s going to be a problem… If I see you with a hoodie on in class or some headphones on in class, it’s going to be a problem. If I see you sitting in the back of the classroom, it’s going to be a problem. Do we understand that?”
Sanders has maintained that academic achievement comes first for his athletes and has connected name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities directly to performance in the classroom: “When you stop going to class and I see a multitude of Fs and Ds, we’re gonna affect your check.”
Under Sanders’ direction, Colorado set a program-best 3.011 team GPA in Fall 2024 and continued strong performance into Spring 2025 with a 2.957 GPA.
He further emphasized concerns about peer influence impacting player behavior off the field: “This is the thing that poses the biggest threat to me, that I’m truly concerned of. And I had to get out the house for the first time, you as well. And they start doing things that are not indicative of who they are, because they’re playing, they’re trying to be accepted.”
Sanders also instructed his players regarding their appearance while representing themselves on campus: “I don’t want to see you going up there looking crazy with CU gear on and you got on slides and a white beater.” He related an incident involving a player arriving at class in full team attire and added: “We’re not gonna do that (…) Smart, tough, fast, disciplined, with character.”
Apart from setting rules for dress code and demeanor during classes, Sanders requires his athletes take financial literacy and public speaking courses as part of their development: “Communication and knowledge is wealth.” He reminded them of their prospects beyond football by stating only five percent would go pro.
Colorado enters this season after posting a nine–four record last year but must now move forward without key players like Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Despite receiving limited preseason recognition—one AP poll vote and ranked No. 45 in the Coaches Poll—the Buffs aim to build upon previous progress amid ongoing scrutiny of both athletic performance and player conduct under Sanders.
