Sports

Deion Sanders Tightens Reins On Colorado Staff After QB Confirms He Was Set Up To Fail

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iStockphoto // Raymond Carlin III / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Julian Lewis and Deion Sanders spoke at Big 12 Media Days.


Deion Sanders is in Frisco, Texas this week for Big 12 Media Days. On Tuesday, he spoke with members of the media to preview the 2026 season.

In doing so, he jokingly revealed a directive for his coaching staff ahead of the Buffs‘ opener in Atlanta. It came off a bit less lighthearted after Colorado fans heard QB Julian Lewis speak on last year’s offensive ineptitude.

The squad will face Georgia Tech on the road in Week 1. Sanders expects his coaching staff to be there two days early for preparation. They may or may not be on a strict curfew.

Deion Sanders is tightening the reins.

Coach Prime will debut a new-look offensive staff in 2026. The most notable addition is coordinator and QB coach Brennan Marion.

Marion comes over from Sacramento State, where he spent one season following a stint at UNLV. He’s previously been nominated as a finalist for OC of the Year honors. He’s expected to be an immediate upgrade in Boulder.

Last year’s coordinator, Pat Shurmer, was demoted following a poor start. That shakeup came in early November, one week after the play caller went viral for an inability to relay the simplest of play calls to his quarterback.

Shurmur was demoted after seeing his offense outscored 105-24 across a two-week span. Julian Lewis, the man expected to be under center for the opener, provided a reason for the struggles.

Julian Lewis says Colorado didn’t study defenses.

“I’m actually looking at the defenses now,” he responded when asked about expectations for the future. “Last year, we wasn’t really looking at the defenses much, just kind of high school freeballin.'”

Lewis seemingly confirmed that he was set up to fail. He was not provided proper preparation. He was asked as a freshman to rely on ability alone, a recipe for disaster at the college level.

For what it’s worth, former teammate Ryan Staub appeared to echo that sentiment after transferring to Tennessee.

Lewis competed in two games with Shurmur calling the plays. He totaled 129 yards on 11-21 passing.

Three days after Shurmur’s demotion, Lewis started against West Virginia. He completed 22 passes for 299 yards and two scores. Was a change in film study made? Maybe. Maybe not.

Lewis insists that an adjustment has been seen this offseason. His new coach is taking a more detailed approach. His head coach is running a tighter ship. We’ll see if it pays dividends in Week 1.