Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders wants to level up his team this spring. Instead of a traditional inter-team scrimmage, he hopes to face off with Fran Brown and the Syracuse Orange.
What did the Colorado coach say about hosting a spring game against a real opponent, and how could it change the sport?
Deion Sanders, Colorado Hope to Face Syracuse This Spring
Coach Prime has made it clear that he wants to elevate the Colorado Buffaloes’ spring game by playing an opposing team rather than an inter-squad game.
On NFL Network, Sanders spoke about hearing from other schools that wanted to take part, and he revealed that Fran Brown and the Syracuse Orange were more than interested.
NEW: Deion Sanders on potential joint spring with Syracuse:
“Fran, I love you. I appreciate you. I’m praying that it happens… It’s not going to just be about football. It’s going to be about financial literacy.”
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— On3 (@On3sports) March 21, 2025
“I want to show much love and much respect to my good friend Fran Brown at Syracuse. I love him and I hope he will be the guy to make that jump, as a university we have already communicated.”
Coach Prime continued to say that he “prays it happens” and that the point of a joint spring won’t just be football-focused but would also be looking at financial literacy and academics with both teams together if they are able to make it happen.
It will be a very anticipated matchup—Syracuse ended the season ranked No. 21, while Colorado finished at No. 23.
For the players, it would be a great start to their preseason as they would be competing against high-quality opposition and seeing different schemes and looks.
Inter-squad spring games can struggle to show the best sides of teams, as all the players know each other’s tendencies, strengths, weaknesses, and schemes.
Sanders initially discussed the idea, saying, “To have a competitive game against your own guys kind of gets monotonous. You really can’t tell the level of your guys because, you know, it’s the same old, same way. Towards the end, I would like to style it like the pros.”
He also mentions that a televised game would attract more attention than a spring game and that the public would find it much more entertaining.
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This idea would involve two competitive, high-level coaches competing solely for bragging rights. The players would be up for it as they hope to be a key part of the roster for the 2025 season.
Off the field it would also be of great beneficiary for everyone involved to spend time looking at financial literacy and the academics. They would also be able to take experience from other techniques and not be hearing from the same people and learning from each other’s experiences and backgrounds.
We will wait and see if this happens, as there will be a lot of logistics involved. Coach Prime mentioned that the teams would spend multiple days together, practicing together and attending off-field workshops.
Sanders has always been one to help those around him and look to aid younger men, whether they are looking to progress to the NFL or if their career is somewhere outside of football. This spring game may be the start of something we see more commonly in college football in the coming years, similar to NFL joint practices.
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