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The Colorado Buffaloes are having a down year in head coach Deion Sanders' Year Three in Boulder. The Buffs are 3-6 so far on the season, which is the worst record for Sanders as a head coach, both at Colorado as well as his previous stop at Jackson State. The last two losses for the Buffs were blowouts, losing 53-7 at Utah and 52-17 vs. Arizona.
With three remaining games against West Virginia, Arizona State and Kansas State, Colorado could finish 3-9 on the season. Given Colorado's struggles, there are obvious questions surrounding Sanders' future in Boulder.
Let's take a look at whether or not Sanders would leave Colorado at the end of the season.
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Is Deion Sanders leaving Colorado?
Despite his team's struggles, it does not appear as though Sanders will leave Colorado. Before Colorado's game against Arizona, Sanders did not appear to be considering his future during the season.
"I'm a one day at a time type of guy," Sanders said via The Associated Press on Oct. 27. "We've got to win. That's the only thing I'm worried about. My health is wonderful. I'm good. I'm not thinking about anything but winning."
"I'm going to coach until I don't have that urge to get up in the morning and go get it," Sanders continued. "And go help and go be a blessing."
After Colorado's blowout loss to Arizona, the head coach did not make his players or coordinators available to the media. Instead, he wanted to take full responsibility for the loss.
“No one will be available tonight,” Sanders said after the game. “It’s on me. Don’t attack the coordinators. Come at me. Don’t attack the players. Come at me. This is me. This has nothing to do with them. It has everything to do with me.”
Colorado is a six-point underdog against the Mountaineers on Saturday. Sanders also demoted offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur following the loss.
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Deion Sanders buyout details
Sanders led Colorado to a 9-4 finish last season. A few months later, he was awarded a new five-year, $54 million contract extension that runs through the 2029 season. That puts his buyout at $33.6 million, and Sanders is a Top-25 highest-paid head coach in the country.
That's a hefty sum to pay for any school to pay, especially for a smaller program like Colorado. The high figure makes it unlikely for the school to fire Sanders, even if the Buffs end the season without another win.
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Deion Sanders record without Shedeur
Sanders has struggled significantly without his son under center this season. Colorado is 3-6. Sanders did not have him as quarterback for Jackson State’s 2020 season, which was played in the spring of 2021. The Tigers finished 4-3, giving Sanders a 7-9 record without Shedeur. With Shedeur, Sanders is 36-15, dating back to Jackson State’s 2021 and 2022 seasons.
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Deion Sanders health issues
Sanders is 58 years old but has been open about recent health issues. At Jackson State, he had two toes amputated due to blood clot complications. In June 2023, he also underwent emergency surgery to treat persistent blood clots.
In July 2025, Sanders revealed that he had battled bladder cancer. In early October, he underwent another surgery for blood clots after experiencing pain during Colorado’s game against TCU. If his health issues continue, retirement could be a potential option. But Sanders has repeatedly said that coaching football helps, rather than hurts, his health.
“My health is not going to increase sitting on the lake fishing,” Sanders said via the AP. “My health is not going to increase sitting at my property in Texas, having a good time, or sitting back, drinking some sweet iced teas and eating some honey buns and watching television.
“I’m not damaging or putting my health at risk by doing what I’m doing. Matter of fact, it’s enhancing my health, doing the things I do."
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Is Deion Sanders going to LSU?
No, Sanders is not going to become the next head coach at LSU. Despite various rumors spreading on Facebook suggesting so, Sanders does not fit the criteria for LSU's next head coach. For starters, he hasn't won enough at a high level, and he's coached just six years in college.
LSU needs a head coach that's a proven winner with extensive collegiate experience, and Sanders doesn't have much of either, despite his solid two seasons at Jackson State and the 9-4 finish last year. Even if theoretically Sanders could have been a possible replacement for Kelly before the 2025 season began, that possibility ended with how poorly Colorado has looked this season.
Deion Sanders coaching options
It doesn't appear as though Sanders will be fired from Colorado this season. But given his teams' struggles, it's reasonable to think he may not stay through 2029 as his contract suggests. There are a number of coaching options that would make for Sanders. He could go back to an HBCU school, where the likes of former NFL stars Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson are coaching.
Although he’s never coached in the NFL, Sanders could find an opening there to reunite with his son, Shedeur, or even with Travis Hunter. If the Florida State job opens after the season, don’t be surprised if the school at least entertains the idea of hiring one of the greatest players in history
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