Colorado backup quarterback Dominiq Ponder has died at age 23 after getting in a car accident early Sunday March 1, the university confirmed Sunday evening.
The Colorado State Patrol confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that a 23-year-old male died in a single-car accident in Boulder County at about 3 a.m. on March 1 but declined to confirm the person's identity. Patrol Sergeant Ivan Alvarado said the driver lost control of his 2023 Tesla while negotiating a right-hand curve on Baseline Road near Newland Court. He said the westbound car went across the eastbound lanes, burst through a guardrail, hit an electrical pole and rolled at least once. The driver was pronounced dead on the scene, Alvarado said.
"God please comfort the Ponder family, friends & Loved ones," Colorado coach Deion Sanders wrote on social media site X. "Dom was one of my favorites! He was Loved, Respected & a Born Leader. Let’s pray for all that knew him & had the opportunity to be in his presence. Lord you’re receiving a good 1. Comfort us Lord Comfort us."
Ponder served as a fourth-string quarterback at Colorado in 2025 and appeared in two games after redshirting at Bethune-Cookman in 2023. He came to Colorado in 2024 as a non-scholarship player and would have been a junior at Colorado in 2026.
