CU notes: Deion Sanders focused on Buffs, not conference realignment

PUBLISHED August 4, 2023 at 5:23 p.m. | UPDATED: August 4, 2023 at 7:29 p.m.
While the Colorado Buffaloes practiced on Friday morning, the Pac-12 was crumbling.
One week after Colorado announced its plans to leave the Pac-12 in 2024 for the Big 12, a flurry of updates from around the country came fast on Friday morning. By the afternoon, it was officially announced that Oregon and Washington would leave for the Big Ten in 2024. On Friday evening, the Big 12 announced that Arizona, Arizona State and Utah will join the Buffaloes in the Big 12.
Deion Sanders’ response to the latest round of conference realignment?
“I don’t care about different teams moving,” the Buffs’ head coach said. “We’re trying to win. I don’t care where we play. I don’t care what conference, who we’re playing against. We’re trying to win. All of this is about the money. You know that. It’s about a bag. Everybody’s chasing the bag, then you get mad at the players when they chase it. How’s that? How do the grownups get mad at the players when they chase it when the colleges are chasing it?”
As a follow-up, a reporter mentioned that more teams were reportedly changing conferences.
“Yeah, the same teams that was talking about us, right?” Sanders said, drawing laughs from the media. “Oh Lord, that was good.”
Sanders didn’t mention Oregon specifically, but he likely had the Ducks in mind with that comment. After CU announced its decision to leave the Pac-12 a week ago, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said, “Not a big reaction. I’m trying to remember what they won to affect this conference. I don’t remember. Do you remember them winning anything? I don’t remember them winning anything.”
Now Lanning’s school is on the move, too. With Arizona, ASU and Utah joining the Big 12, the Pac-12 is down to only four remaining schools for 2024: California, Oregon State, Stanford and Washington State.
Still turning heads
Walk-on running back Charlie Offerdahl continues to impress Sanders with his work ethic and play-making ability and had a big run in Friday’s practice.
“I call him Charlie Oftenball because that’s what he did today,” Sanders said. “He got in there, hit it up, and had like a 50-yard run. They tackled him down, but he put us in scoring position. Charlie’s a dawg, man. I love his commitment. I love his swagger. I’m not crazy about his mustache, but everything else I love about Charlie, man. He’s a good young man. I wish every walk-on kid or kid that’s trying to live their dream could understand his mentality. I love Charlie.”
Star in the making?
True freshman running back Dylan Edwards came to CU last winter as one of the high-profile recruits of the Buffs’ 2023 class. Although just 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, the four-star speedster, originally committed to Notre Dame, has been “more” than advertised, Sanders said.
“The kid, I think he’s put on 12 to 15 pounds (since the spring),” Sanders said. “He’s a dawg. He wants all the smoke. He wants the ball. He’s not just a bounce guy that bounces outside; he can run between the tackles. Dylan Edwards is a phenomenal, electrifying player. We plan on having him returning kicks, as well as getting the ball to him as much as possible.”
Notable
After Zach Blackwood chose to return to Garden City (Kan.) Community College this week, CU was left with only five defensive linemen and 77 total players on scholarship, which is eight below the NCAA maximum. Sanders isn’t concerned. “How many people we got on the roster right now? 115. You think we need more people? You can only travel, what, 72?” Sanders said. He added the Buffs are saving the extra scholarships because “we’re gonna need more recruits next year.” … CU recently added longtime NFL coach Pat Shurmur to the staff as an analyst. Shurmur’s most recent job was as the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos from 2020-21. Sanders said, “He’s doing a phenomenal job right now; he really is. Love what he’s bringing to the table. … Asked about the challenges of installing the offensive and defensive schemes, Sanders said, “We don’t have challenges, we present challenges.”