Colorado player Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig responded to criticism about the team and coach Deion Sanders from players who left last year.

Silmon-Craig mentioned folks are “tryna paint this Negative Picture of my coach and the program.”

Deion Sanders recommended Xavier Smith hit the transfer portal like many others.

He didn't.

During spring practices, Smith felt more like an extra in the background of the reality show.

Frustration set in before he eventually left for Austin Peay.https://t.co/Gcjcs8X1Yw pic.twitter.com/9eZKBHnkoK

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 29, 2024

On Monday, Max Olson from The Athletic talked about all the players who left Colorado since Sanders joined, and he even chatted with some of them. They shared some pretty honest thoughts about their time at Buffs.

Olson mentioned that it’s common for new coaches to let go of players who aren’t performing well. But Sanders really went all out in changing up his roster, which stood out.

Chase Sowell, now at East Carolina, mentioned to Olson that there was a split between the players who stayed and the new ones brought in by Sanders and his team.

“It felt like we were divided, not united,” he explained. “The new guys seemed to be pitted against the ones who’d been here longer. It just didn’t feel like a team anymore. It wasn’t a supportive environment.”

On top of everything, they had cameras everywhere – filming practices and team talks for an Amazon doc and Deion Sanders Jr.’s YouTube channel. Sowell and Xavier Smith even likened it to being on a reality TV show.

Smith felt Sanders wasn’t very warm towards players he didn’t think highly of.

“He really crushed their confidence,” Smith told Olson. “I just wish he could’ve been a bit more compassionate about it, you know?”

Sanders has many good things to highlight from his first year.

Sanders brought a lot of spotlight to Colorado, more than it’s had in ages. Despite a tough end, the Buffs still won three more games. Plus, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter might go big in the 2025 NFL draft.

Makes you wonder if people are talking about Colorado, right?

The Buffaloes’ recruiting ranking is 80th in 247Sports, and they dropped from first to sixth in transfer portal rankings compared to last year. Spring game attendance also fell, partly due to rainy weather in Boulder.

It’s still too soon to tell if Coach Prime’s strategy is reaching a turning point. Building a strong team takes time, especially with the transfer portal. But if they have another losing season, it’ll raise doubts about the plan’s foundation.