Colorado football: What are realistic expectations for Deion Sanders’ first year?

Fresh off one of the worst seasons in program history, Colorado football made a huge move in the coaching search, bringing in Deion Sanders from the FCS ranks.

It was a great hire considering Sanders was one of the hottest names in the carousel because of all of the success he had at Jackson State. He’s a great coach and potentially an even better recruiter and that has been obvious early on at Colorado.

Sanders has only been the head coach for a couple of months and he’s already bringing in the No. 20 recruiting class in the country thanks to some last-minute additions.

And he has the No. 4 transfer class in the nation heading into 2023.

After a second 1-11 season in the past 10 years, what can Colorado football fans expect from Sanders in his first season as head coach with a rather mediocre roster?

Realistic 2023 expectations for Colorado football

Recruiting is as good as it’s been in recent memory thanks to Sanders and that doesn’t surprise anyone. But he has to land instant-impact players to make up for a roster that wasn’t cutting it in the Pac-12.

That’s why he landed the No. 4 transfer class, led by No. 1 overall transfer Travis Hunter, a former five-star cornerback who played for Sanders at Jackson State.

Transfers can expedite a turnaround for sure, but is Colorado bringing in enough to make that happen in 2023? I think because the Buffaloes are bringing in 23 (!!) transfers so far, that can make up for a good chunk of the roster to go along with a solid 2023 recruiting class.

Colorado may not contend for a Pac-12 title in 2023, but I would not be shocked to see the Buffaloes go somewhere in the range of 7-5 or 8-4 in a huge turnaround from a one-win 2022 season.

Sanders is a much better coach than Karl Dorrell was and he has the talent to work with that he’s bringing in with him. I think expecting a bowl berth is more than OK.