Deion Sanders Sets Record Straight on Colorado’s Transfer Portal Strategy: ‘We’re not an ATM’

The Buffaloes coach said he wants players who prioritize football above NIL opportunities.

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders plans to make significant changes to his roster before his second season with the program.

The Buffaloes (4–7) have lost their past five games after starting the season 3-0 in Sanders’s first season with the program. Although the Pro Football Hall of Famer is aware of the shortcomings on his current roster, he said he does not plan on “paying” for players to fix the problem.

“We’re not an ATM,” Sanders said. “That’s not gonna happen here,” Sanders said Tuesday during his weekly news conference. “If you come to Colorado to play football for me and the Colorado Buffaloes, it’s because you really want to play football and receive a wonderful education. … You’re not coming here to get rich unless you’re really coming here with a plan to go to the NFL and get your degree. Not to come here and be Moneybagg Yo. That’s a rapper, right?”

After Colorado hired Sanders to replace Karl Dorrell in December, he massively overhauled the Buffaloes roster, bringing in 57 transfers after the Buffaloes’ spring game. Ahead of the ’23 season, Sanders defended his decision to retool the roster, saying “it had to be done” and that he needed players who loved football after the program went 1–11 in ’22 under Dorrell and interim coach Mike Sanford.

After Colorado plays its season finale against Utah (7–4) on Saturday, Sanders again will face the task of upgrading his roster during the offseason, likely with a major emphasis on the offensive line. And Sanders is clear that he wants players who prioritize football above NIL opportunities.

“We want players that want us,” Sanders said. “Trying to convince somebody and doing that, being held hostage financially, we ain’t with that. … Trust me, there’s not a day that goes by that kids aren’t blowing our recruiting staff up. They’re calling, and we’re responding.”