FRISCO, Texas — Deion Sanders sat quietly in the back of a makeshift office in the bowels of the Dallas Cowboys practice facility, listening proudly as his players fielded questions about where Colorado football stands entering the 2026 season. The half-dozen players Sanders chose to send to the Big 12’s media days in Dallas in early July were an interesting mix: four transfers from programs ranging from Notre Dame to Northwest Missouri State; a former top-50 high school recruit Sanders had signed; and a defensive back who came to Colorado as a walk-on.It was the walk-on, Colorado native Ben Finneseth, whose words seemed to best capture the Buffs’ message as Sanders enters his fourth year, following another program reboot after a 3-9 season. Finneseth, who arrived at CU in 2021, has actually been part of the Colorado program longer than Sanders. He was a Buffs team captain for their lone win in the miserable 1-11 2022 season that preceded Sanders’ hiring.Sanders has leaned heavily on the transfer portal since arriving in Boulder in December 2022, but this time the Buffs have opted to pursue more players with extensive playing experience at all levels of college football. The portal moves — which The Athletic ranked as the nation’s No. 18 transfer class — along with new playcallers on both sides of the ball, have folks at Colorado convinced the program is back on the upswing.Finneseth noted that many of the new Buffs didn’t come from “blueblood” programs or necessarily carry a Power 4 pedigree.“What I saw from this spring is a lot of guys that want to prove that they can play at this level,” Finneseth said. “They’re hungry. We brought in guys that are pissed off ’cause they weren’t recruited out of high school. They came in with a competitiveness and a work ethic. The cohesive mindset of all the players is the biggest difference that we’ve had compared to last season.”Sanders said the Buffs changed what they were looking for in the portal, placing more emphasis on leadership and on finding players who know how to bounce back from adversity.The Buffs struggled mightily in 2025 after star QB Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy-winning two-way phenom Travis Hunter left for the NFL. Colorado had finished in the Top 25 for only the second time in the previous two decades, but almost as quickly as it had come together, it appeared to fall apart.The 58-year-old Sanders also wasn’t his usual self last year. After battling bladder cancer and undergoing surgery, the Pro Football Hall of Famer was frail when he appeared at last year’s Big 12 media days. Weeks later, he said he had to wear special shorts under his pants as his body adapted to a new bladder, adding that he “depends on Depends” and that “if you see a port-a-potty on the sideline, it is real.” Sanders hadn’t been around his team for three months last offseason and lacked the energy or spark that had enabled him to transform listless programs at Jackson State and CU into winners.“I got that thang back, I got that swagger back, I got that dog back, I got that charisma back,” Sanders said. “I was 15 pounds down, but I’m now ready. I’m back, baby! I cannot wait to get back on that sideline. I’m excited about this season.”