Colorado Football drops three players from roster before Cincinnati

Deion Sanders and the Buffs get rid of depth at a much needed position

Kris Miller/SI

Deion Sanders continues to bring a unique approach to managing his roster at Colorado, showcasing his firm commitment to performance-based playtime and an annual overhaul of the team. Known as a “transfer portal guru,” Sanders leverages the college football transfer portal similarly to NFL free agency, actively reshaping his team each year by replacing around 30% of the roster. For Sanders, a player’s past achievements don’t guarantee future playtime; instead, he evaluates players based on their practice performance, consistency, and effort. Players who fail to meet these expectations may find themselves sitting on the bench or, as seen recently, moving on from the program.

Recently, three players—Yakiri Walker, Tyler Johnson, and Johnny Chaney Jr.—opted to depart from the team, likely due to a lack of playtime and visibility on the field. Walker and Johnson, both offensive linemen, joined Colorado as part of a significant overhaul intended to strengthen the offensive line. However, they struggled to secure starting positions. Walker, originally expected to anchor the offensive line as a center, lost his starting spot to Hank Zalinskas, while Johnson found himself relegated to the third-string left guard. Similarly, Chaney, a linebacker with a productive background at Florida A&M, faced tough competition and limited reps, as Colorado’s depth in the linebacker room left him low on the depth chart.

Sanders’s emphasis on practice performance is key here. Players like Chaney, who didn’t register significant stats in the games he played, and offensive linemen like Walker and Johnson, who couldn’t secure starting spots, failed to demonstrate the consistency Sanders expects in practice. Sanders has shown that only those who meet his high practice standards earn game-time opportunities, regardless of prior reputation or ranking. This approach reinforces a performance-driven culture, where Sanders values daily commitment and execution over past accolades.

The recent departure of Walker, Johnson, and Chaney underscores the high-stakes, competitive environment Sanders fosters at Colorado. As he continues to refine his roster and establish a cohesive team dynamic, the Buffaloes have started to see results, particularly with a more effective offensive line in recent games. The Colorado Buffaloes, now 5-2, prepare to host Cincinnati, signaling another test for Sanders’s ever-evolving roster strategy. The departures are a reminder of Sanders’s unyielding approach: practice hard, prove your worth, or look for opportunities elsewhere.