Stephen A. Smith Hints Deion Sanders Could Be Coaching for His Job in 2026
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The Colorado Buffaloes open their college football season on Thursday night with Deion Sanders at the helm for his fourth season as head coach.
According to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, although Sanders had one standout season so far, last season was not a good look. Smith believes this could be the time for Sanders to turn things around, or he could be on the way out.
"You only won four games your first year. You won three, just three games last year. You went 9-4 the year you had your son and Travis Hunter, so we get that part," Smith said on ESPN's "First Take."
"But if there's a replica of this, you're gonna have folks calling for his hide. Now, Colorado might stick with him, but I wouldn't trust it," he said.
In Colorado's 2024 season, the coach's son, Shedeur Sanders, was the team's quarterback, with Hunter playing at wide receiver and cornerback. The team averaged 32.9 points per game and held opponents to 23.1. They went 9-4 and qualified for the Alamo Bowl, which they lost to the BYU Cougars.
Last season, Sanders no longer had his son or Hunter, since both had left for the NFL. The team's numbers and performance plummeted. They averaged 20.9 points per game and allowed opponents to score 30.5, en route to a disappointing 1-8 conference record and 3-9 overall record.
During "First Take," Smith mentioned that last season, Colorado ranked 112th nationally in total offense and 121st nationally in total defense. He also said that there are 134 schools in the FBS, and Colorado ranked 133rd in run defense.
Smith said he believes Sanders can turn things around, but maintained that if this season's Colorado team is anything like last year's squad, Coach Prime could definitely be on the hot seat.
Former five-star recruit Julian "JuJu" Lewis is officially the starting quarterback for the coming season. The redshirt freshman played four games and had two starts last season, going 0-2 in those starts. Lewis threw for 589 yards and four touchdowns in those games, but with a full season, he may emerge as a much better player under offensive coordinator Brennan Marion.
The Colorado Buffaloes get their season started on Thursday night when they take on the ACC's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on the road. They'll play two more non-conference games in the following weeks before starting their Big 12 schedule against the Baylor Bears on Sept. 26.
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