Colorado is making some significant roster changes before the Buffaloes even begin Big 12 play.
Head coach Deion Sanders revealed Tuesday that multiple players are no longer with the program following Colorado’s 41-7 loss to Northwestern, citing conduct detrimental to the team.
“It’s a few guys that are not on the team anymore,” Sanders said Tuesday.
Sanders did not identify the players who were dismissed, but indicated the decisions were not the result of one isolated incident. Instead, he described a pattern of behavior that he was no longer willing to tolerate as Colorado prepares to enter conference play.
The moves come after a rough weekend for the Buffaloes both on and off the field.
Colorado was blown out by Northwestern on Saturday, suffering its first loss of the season. Before the game, Buffaloes long snapper Camden Finneseth was caught on video making disparaging comments about Northwestern’s temporary stadium. Finneseth later issued a public apology.
University of Colorado Reacts
The Colorado athletic department later issued a statement when asked about the dismissed players by USA TODAY Sports.
“Any potential roster changes have not been finalized,” the statement said. “An updated roster will be released later in the week.”
Sanders made it clear Tuesday that he wants to address problems immediately rather than allow them to linger. He also pointed back to Colorado’s disappointing 2025 season, when the Buffaloes finished 3-9, and acknowledged that he did not put his foot down quickly enough as issues developed within the program.
Now, Sanders is taking a different approach.
And the timing is notable for the Big 12.
Colorado travels to Waco this weekend to face Baylor in its conference opener, meaning Sanders is making these changes just days before the Buffaloes begin the most important portion of their schedule.
Colorado will then return home for consecutive Big 12 games against Texas Tech and Utah.
After last season spiraled into a three-win campaign, Sanders clearly isn’t waiting around this time. Before Colorado plays its first Big 12 game of 2026, he is already sending a message about what will — and won’t — be tolerated inside the program.
