Stanford Player Calls Deion Sanders And Colorado 'Mercenaries' For Portal Methods

Troy Taylor and Deion Sanders are both in their first year as a coach of a Pac-12 program

On Friday, college football fans were treated to one of the best games in quite some time, that is if they stayed awake until the end.

After Colorado built a 29-0 lead at the half, they were feeling so confident that starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders was posting links to his merch in the locker room. They also were punched in the mouth by a Stanford team who came out of the locker room playing with intensity and efficiency we hadn't yet seen this season on both sides of the ball.

Stanford hung 26 unanswered points, en route to securing a 46-43 victory in double overtime in large part due to the showing from Ashton Daniels and wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, and the defense who silenced the explosive Buff offense. The victory gave Colorado their third loss in four games, and ended Stanford's four-game losing streak.

It also brought attention to the disparity in how the two programs are built, as Colorado brought in over 50 transfers after head coach Deion Sanders urged last year's roster to leave. Whereas Stanford's roster only saw five transfer additions, as Troy Taylor is dealing with much stricter academic requirements.

However, that wasn't the difference that Sophomore offensive lineman Fisher Anderson wanted to bring to light, but the manner in which the two coaches approached the players on the roster they inherited. While Sanders told Colorado players from last year he was bringing his own luggage and it was Louis (Vuitton), Taylor implored all of the players on the fence about leaving that he'd love to see them stay and have them be a part of what he's trying to build.

"A few thoughts on last night," Fisher posted on X. "Good always wins out, no matter how bleak it looks. When coach Taylor got hired, he told everyone to stay and believe; Coach prime told everyone to leave. We are program builders; they are mercenaries. I believe in Stanford football; you should too."

Stanford still lost a handful of guys to the portal and to the NFL, but they also returned notable names like star tight end Benjamin Yurosek and running back E.J. Smtih who both would have been hot commodities had they hit the portal, or even if Yurosek declared for the NFL Draft. Fisher and the rest of the Stanford squad are clearly bought into Taylor and his staff, and while there will continue to be learning curves, a win like the one on Friday is one that can shift this program back into the right direction.