Colorado AD backs Deion amid roster shuffling: 'This is his way to do it'

Colorado athletic director Rick George showed support to new head coach Deion Sanders on Thursday amid the school's roster turnover.

"I have confidence in him and his staff, and they know what they're doing," George said, according to ESPN's Heather Dinich. "He's been very honest and forthright. He's been very open about it, publicly and privately. He's trying to build a winner at Colorado, and this is his way to do it."

Sanders and his coaching staff have posted the biggest Year 1 roster flip in the transfer portal era. A total of 57 Colorado players have entered the portal since the Buffaloes hired Sanders as head coach from Jackson State in December, easily the most in the NCAA, per Dinich.

Sanders has also welcomed several new student-athletes to Colorado, including high-profile playmakers Travis Hunter, Cormani McClain, and Shedeur Sanders, Deion's son.

The Buffaloes haven't had a winning season since 2016 and posted a 9-21 record over the last three campaigns, including a 1-11 season in 2022. The team was outscored 521-165 last year.

"When (Sanders) first came in, he said, 'There's a lot of people here who may not be here,' because he evaluated and looked at the talent on our team," George said. "He's just publicly stated it, where a lot of people don't. We're not the first to do this. The NCAA rule says you can have those discussions. If a student-athlete wants to stay, they can stay. The university has to pay for them, they don't count on your scholarship limits, and they're not on the team."