What Deion Sanders thinks about recent criticism from former players

What Deion Sanders thinks about recent criticism from former players originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Deion Sanders has watched several former Colorado players land at new schools and publicly compare their experiences at Boulder's expense. LSU's Jordan Seaton described training at his new program as operating on a completely different level. Clemson transfer London Merritt even drew blunter contrasts.

The commentary thing had been building for weeks before the HC addressed it Tuesday at a news conference. His response was more self-aware than many anticipated, and it says something about where his mindset is heading in a critical 2026 season.

Sanders chose the composed route while critics continued piling on publicly

"Some of our past players have been commenting on us, and that's cool with me," Sanders said. "We're not gonna be provoked or coming back or say anything ignorantly back. I wish those guys the best."

He went further. "I'm proud that they were able to earn more than they earned here," Sanders added.

Earlier this spring, Sanders had also told his current roster to stop referencing former programs or coaches entirely, comparing it to talking about an old relationship.

Colorado finished 3-9 in 2025, a steep drop from their 9-4 mark the year before. Sanders carries that record into his fourth season with real questions still unanswered and real critics who are not going anywhere.

Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis is expected to start in 2026.

Talk only goes so far at this time of the year. If the program can win real games in the Big 12 this fall, the departing players' commentary will carry considerably less weight by Nov.