Colorado Buffaloes' Open Practice Rules Turning Heads Around the Country

Colorado coach Deion Sanders gave fans a rare look at the Buffaloes during Tuesday’s open practice in Boulder, but the rules attached to the event has quickly became the bigger story outside the program.

Fans and reporters were permitted to attend, but phones were collected at the gate. No video, photos, recordings or notes were allowed. Fans and reporters also were instructed not to report anything they saw, including injuries, depth-chart movement, personnel groupings, player performances or scheme information.

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders coach prime pratice rules 2026 fall camp colorado football big 12 georgia tech — Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks along the sidelines late in the fourth quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The result was a practice that Colorado fans could watch in person but could not carry with them when they left. It also produced a wave of national coverage that stretched well beyond the normal August camp cycle.

The Athletic first reported the restrictions before the practice, and the story was followed by USA Today, NBC Sports, Bleacher Report, Fox News, Sporting News, On3 and several other national outlets.

The message sent to attendees

The instructions from Colorado Athletics were direct.

“This practice is open for viewing purposes only,” the email stated. “It is closed for all reporting, recording and documentation purposes.”

While that practice is common for colleges that occasionally invite reporters to practice, and a majority don't give any access, the extension to fans turned heads.

Fans were required to turn in phones, tablets, cameras, smart glasses and other recording devices. The school also prohibited written notes, typed notes, dictated observations, audio recordings, diagrams and sketches.

Reporters were told not to report injuries, participation, depth charts, rotations, position changes, formations, plays, trick plays, personnel packages or individual performances during team periods. The directive added that if an attendee was unsure whether something was reportable, it was not.

Holy crap! I’ve never seen anything like this and my sources tell me that there are non-football reasons for it ‼️

Deion Sanders’ Colorado University sent this to members of the media prior to practice.

It says, “nothing observed at practice may be reported” and if so, they… pic.twitter.com/l4hzpQiefp
— Tony Farmer (@Tonysmarkettips) August 12, 2026

Why it traveled nationally

Most preseason practices in college football are closed. That part is ordinary.

Colorado’s setup was different because the team invited people to watch while making the practice non-reportable afterward. It created an event that was open in the literal sense but closed in every practical sense for people who cover the team.

The restrictions were widely described as unusual, and the wording in the email became the focus of the coverage. USA Today called it a “top-secret public practice,” while other outlets compared the rules to a classified briefing or a tightly controlled entertainment event.

The reaction also came because Colorado is not a program that can make a quiet decision. A routine practice-access policy at another school might have stayed local. At Colorado, it became part of the national conversation around how Coach Prime is running the program.

Deion Sanders has controlled access before

This was not the first time Sanders’ approach to media access has made news.

Colorado has generally limited practice viewing periods during his tenure, giving reporters scheduled interview opportunities rather than regular access to team drills. Sanders has also placed a premium on controlling the information coming from inside the building, particularly during camp.

The difference this time was the public setting. Fans were told they could attend and see the 2026 Buffaloes in person, but the rules kept every person in attendance from sharing anything specific about the workout.

Colorado’s policy also carried consequences. The email warned that violations could result in removal from the facility, loss of credentials and limits on future access for an individual or outlet.

It made the policy enforceable through the access controls Colorado has, which could become a norm in college football.

The football questions remain

Colorado Buffaloes julian lewis Deion Sanders coach prime practice rules 2026 fall camp colorado football big 12 georgia tech — Jul 7, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA; Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis speaks with reporters during Big 12 Conference Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The national conversation around the practice rules did not change what Colorado is trying to accomplish during camp.

The Buffs are preparing for a Sept. 3 opener at Georgia Tech after a 3-9 season. Sanders brought in new coordinators, added another large transfer class and placed Julian Lewis at the center of a new offense led by Brennan Marion.

Colorado still has questions along the offensive line, at receiver and throughout the secondary. The staff is also installing a new defensive system under Chris Marve while determining which players will earn the remaining starting jobs.

Those are the questions fans hoped to get a closer look at during the open practice. They saw the work, but Colorado made sure the details stayed inside the facility.

For Coach Prime, that likely was the point. For everyone else, the restrictions became the latest reminder that Colorado football is still one of the most closely watched programs in the nation.

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