"My lungs were burning": UCLA transfer gets taste of Deion Sanders' insane training program at Colorado before 2025 season

Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders does not take it easy on his players. He has turned the program around quickly in just two seasons since arriving. Part of the reason for that is his challenging training program. He works players hard, ensuring they are in good shape.

Part of the reason training is so difficult is because of the altitude in Colorado. The Buffaloes play at a higher altitude than most other teams, meaning the air is thinner. As a result, it is harder to breathe when working out, making those workouts more challenging. While it is difficult to adapt to, it gives the players a competitive advantage once they do adapt.

On Thursday, a video was posted on YouTube by Well Off Media. In the video, UCLA transfer Walker Andersen spoke about the challenges of training under Deion Sanders.

"My name is Walker Andersen. Today they only had me doing 50% of the run and my lungs were burning." Andersen said (Timestamp 9:35). "Been sick for the past week like the absolute worst way to come in here, and now I'm doing pushups and my arms feel like they have zero blood in them because I just can't breathe here. "I transferred from UCLA, I'm from Orange County, California. Little small school."

Walker Andersen transferred from UCLA to Colorado after his redshirt freshman season. He never played a game for the Bruins before transferring to play for Coach Prime.

Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes will look to overcome adversity next season

For Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes, the theme for the season will be overcoming adversity. The Buffaloes themselves will be in a different spot next season from where they were in 2024. The team lost its two biggest stars, WR/CB Travis Hunter and QB Shedeur Sanders, to the NFL draft.

As a result, the team will need to adapt to playing without those players to remain competitive in the Big 12. However, an even bigger obstacle for the Buffaloes to overcome will be the health issues facing Deion Sanders.

Coach Prime was forced to miss parts of the summer football camps earlier in the month because of unspecified health issues. He traveled to Texas with his son, Deion Sanders Jr, to deal with them.

Sanders has dealt with many issues related to blood clots over the years. Those problems resulted in him having two toes amputated. It has not been confirmed whether his current health issues are related to his previous problems.

Edited by Alexander O'Reilly