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Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders has recently faced some headwinds on the roster building front. The Buffaloes have experienced a mass exodus in the weeks after the spring opening of the transfer portal.
One of the departing players, Xavier Smith, raised some eyebrows when he criticized his former coach.
Smith said Sanders pushed him to transfer at some point after the NFL legend became the coach in Boulder. He told The Athletic Sanders told him he should "probably hit the portal" and didn’t want him to "waste a year thinking I could earn a spot."
"I was actually getting mad, like tears coming to my eyes. Because, bro, you never even tried to get to know me," Smith added.
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Head coach Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders (2) of the Colorado Buffaloes walk together prior to a game against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl Stadium Oct. 28, 2023, in Pasadena, Calif. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
The player also accused his former coach of "destroying guys' confidence."
COLORADO LOSES TOP RUNNING BACK IN TRANSFER PORTAL IN BLOW TO DEION SANDERS-LED TEAM
"He was destroying guys’ confidence and belief in themselves," Smith told The Athletic in a story published April 29. "The way he did it, it could’ve been done with a little more compassion."
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders walks the perimeter of the field as players warm up before a game against Colorado State Sept. 16, 2023, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
But Smith's former teammate, Shedeur Sanders, came to the defense of his father and trolled the former Buffaloes safety in the process.
"Ion even remember him tbh. Bro had to be very mid at best," the Colorado quarterback wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Smith transferred to UTEP.
The publication also spoke to other departing Colorado players, some of whom shared positive feedback about Sanders.
Sanders was blunt when he took the program over, especially after the team’s first spring game.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, left, talks with his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, before the first half of a game against Southern California Sept. 30, 2023, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
"You all know that we’re going to move on from some of the team members, and we’re going to reload and get some kids that we really identify with," Sanders said after the spring game, according to The Athletic. "So, this process is going to be quick, it’s going to be fast, but we’re going to get it done."
He also preached "hope" after last year’s national signing day.
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"We’re not recruiting just no ordinary Tom, Dick and Harry," Sanders said on national signing day. "We recruited some guys that can light up the scoreboard and prevent touchdowns from occurring. We’re coming. We’re serious about that.
"Hope is in the house. Hope is in the air. Hope is in the city. Hope is in the community."
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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