Feb 27, 2026
NCAABoulder
The brand infrastructure is real. The football results have been uneven. The 2026 season is when the program's direction becomes clearer.
Three years into the Deion Sanders era at Colorado, the program looks nothing like it did when he arrived — and that transformation is now being studied by athletic departments across the country as much as it's being followed by recruiting services. The numbers tell part of the story. Colorado's athletic budget has grown significantly. Their social media following dwarfs what it was in 2022. NIL deals flowing through the program have made Boulder a legitimate recruiting destination for players who, by traditional metrics, would never have considered the Big 12. What Sanders built isn't just a football program. It's a brand infrastructure attached to a football program.
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