Colorado head coach Deion Sanders spoke Thursday about the recent announcement that the university will retire the jersey numbers of Travis Hunter (No. 12) and quarterback Shedeur Sanders (No. 2) at the Buffaloes’ spring football game Saturday.
News of the jersey retirements sparked debate this week among CU fans and former team members over the fact that Hunter and Sanders, Deion’s son, are receiving the honor despite finishing their college careers with the Buffaloes just last season. Some have complained that the duo is having their jerseys retired ahead of other program greats.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen it sore,” Deion said regarding people upset by the jersey retirements, which he attributed to Shedeur being his son.
“We talking about Shedeur, we ain’t talking about nobody else,” said Deion. “The only reason we are having this discussion is because his last name is Sanders. That’s it. It’s been so many things accomplished at this university expeditiously. It’s been unbelievable. And I think we should be appreciative. It’s a new day, we’re doing things a little different.”
Hunter and Shedeur Sanders played the past two seasons at Colorado under Deion Sanders, following the head coach from Jackson State ahead of the 2023 season. Hunter won the Heisman Trophy last season as a two-way player at wide receiver and cornerback, earning unanimous first-team All-America honors and a number of other individual awards.
Shedeur Sanders won the Johnny Unitas award as the top quarterback in college football last season and earned second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press. Both players are projected first-round picks at the NFL Draft later this month. Colorado finished last season 9-4 and was bowl eligible for the first time since 2016.
Colorado football has previously retired four jersey numbers, most recently the No. 19 worn by running back Rashaan Salaam, who won the Heisman in 1994 and had his jersey retired in 2017. But several former Buffs players and coaches spoke out this week in defense of prior CU standouts who they felt were skipped in a rush to honor Hunter and Shedeur, such as quarterbacks Darian Hagan and Kordell Stewart, defensive back Deon Figures and wide receiver Michael Westbrook, among others.
Former Colorado quarterback and current Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, who has been an outspoken supporter of the Buffs in his role as a commentator, described the decision as “not a good look” during an appearance on Fox Sports’ “First Things First” on Tuesday.
“I just think that it cheapens what you’re trying to do,” said Klatt, who noted the decision came from athletic director Rick George, not Deion. “I talked to (George) today and told him I didn’t agree with this. He said, ‘Listen, this guy, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter changed the trajectory of our program.’”
.@joelklatt told Colorado’s AD that he didn’t agree with the Buffaloes retiring Shedeur Sanders & Travis Hunter’s numbers.
His response: “They changed the trajectory of our program, they saved our program in a lot of ways.” pic.twitter.com/zNCOH8W4lc
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) April 15, 2025
Klatt was not alone in voicing his disappointment.
“It’s not about Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. They’re great players. It’s about the timing,” said Phillip Lindsay in a social media video on Wednesday. Lindsay is a former Buffs running back who is now a sports radio host in Denver, his hometown.
“It’s the guys before them … they deserve that moment as well,” said Lindsay. “For me, it’s all about respecting history, respecting the guys before us … Have some respect for those guys.”
Darrin Chiaverini, a former Colorado receiver and offensive coordinator and the current head coach at Northeastern State (DII), posted a lengthy message on X on Monday, taking issue with the announcement.
“Retiring numbers is a huge honor and something that should never be taken lightly. I believe strongly that there should be a cooling-off period, the same as with the Hall of Fame in the NFL, so decisions are not made out of emotion,” wrote Chiaverini. “The excitement and the notoriety that Shedeur and Travis have brought to the University of Colorado is unquestioned, but retiring these numbers before recognizing previous great players in CU history needs to be addressed.”
Saw the news today that Colorado was retiring #2 Shedeur Sanders and #12 Travis Hunter. Retiring numbers is a huge honor and something that should never be taken lightly. I believe strongly that there should be a cooling off period, the same as with the Hall of Fame in the NFL,…
— Darrin Chiaverini (@CoachChev6) April 15, 2025
Deion Sanders did not point to any specific comments or critics on Thursday, but expressed disappointment at the tone of the public response.
“I’m not going to be critical of you because I didn’t get what I want. I don’t get down like that,” said Deion. “The root to all of it is personal. Sometimes we just have to get out the way and be thankful for our people.”
Deion described a number of former Colorado players as “dear friends,” mentioning Stewart and Westbrook by name, but said he is not best equipped to honor past eras he wasn’t part of building.
“When I start going back into something that I don’t know nothing about, that I wasn’t involved in, I’m going to ruffle feathers. Because I’m going to forget somebody,” said Deion. “And I don’t want to be put in that position. I want to be a good steward on what God has placed me over. And I feel like I am.”
Deion also stated the response hasn’t bothered Shedeur or Hunter.
“(Shedeur) don’t care. Let’s get this straight: He’s a Sanders. He don’t care. Travis don’t either. I don’t either,” said Deion. “These guys are thinking about the draft, thinking about where they’re going to spend their career. But we’re thankful that Buff Nation has been gracious; they’ve been wonderful.”
Deion also touched on the transfer portal with the spring window opening on Wednesday. Colorado has been active in the portal during Deion’s tenure, part of a roster turnover that earned criticism for essentially cutting and moving on from players during his first two seasons, which Deion suggested was unfair in light of similar overhauls elsewhere.
“Why is it welcome that everybody is active (in the portal) now? A couple years ago, it was a problem,” said Deion, who then seemingly alluded to West Virginia, which had an exodus of 30-plus players this week under new head coach Rich Rodriguez.
“I just read somewhere, correct me if I’m wrong, one school had 30 guys jump?” said Deion. “Is that correct? Where’s the (uproar)?”
Colorado will host its annual Black & Gold Day spring game in Boulder on Saturday, which will air nationally on ESPN2. Shedeur and Hunter will have their jersey retirement ceremony at halftime. Deion said Thursday that Colorado has sold over 15,000 tickets for the game, though he thinks that total would have been higher had the Buffs been permitted to scrimmage Syracuse, a request that was denied by the Division I FBS oversight committee.
“I think it hurt the ticket sales when they said we weren’t going to get that scrimmage against Syracuse, and I wish we would have,” said Deion. “But hopefully we get it a year from now when somebody else thinks of it besides me and (Syracuse) coach Fran Brown and let them do it first.”
(Photo: Andrew Wevers / Getty Images)