Colorado enjoyed what was considered a wildly successful spring game this past weekend under first-year coach Deion Sanders, but despite that, the Buffaloes roster is poised to look massively different by the time fall rolls around. On Monday, a slew of players hit the transfer portal with the exodus including everyone from star players in 2022 to once-promising prospects who are now looking for new homes away from the Coach Prime era in Boulder.
Wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig is one of the highest-profile players to make the decision to leave Boulder. The junior made waves on Saturday by catching three passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns during the first spring game for coach Deion Sanders. One of those passes was a 98-yard score from transfer quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder from Inglewood, California, was the Buffaloes second-leading receiver last season with 23 catches for 359 yards and three touchdowns.
Fellow wide receiver Jordyn Tyson also announced Monday that he is hitting the portal after a successful first season in Boulder. Tyson finished last season as the top receiver on the roster with 470 yards on 22 receptions after joining the program from Allen (Texas) High School.
Deion Smith, last season’s top running back, also entered the portal on Monday. The 6-foot, 190-pound senior led the team with 393 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns last season. He had 653 yards rushing and four rushing touchdowns during his four seasons with the Buffaloes.
Here’s a look at the players who have entered the portal so far, according to the 247Sports transfer portal tracker:
- OL Jackson Anderson: A 6-foot-4, 295-pounder from Mineola, Texas, Anderson redshirted in 2021 and wasn’t a contributor in 2022. He was a three-star prospect in the Class of 2021.
- DL Aaron Austin: The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder was a three star prospect in the Class of 2022 out of Fort Worth, Texas.
- LB Shakaun Bowser: The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder from Queen Creek, Arizona, didn’t record any stats last year. He was a three-star prospect in the Class of 2022.
- LB Devin Grant: The 6-foot-3, 260-pound sophomore has played in 15 games and started two during his three seasons with the program. He had 14 tackles and two tackles for loss in 2022 and was expected to contend for playing time in 2023.
- OL Alex Harkey: The 6-foot-6, 305-pounder played one season at Colorado after transferring from Tyler (Texas) Junior College.
- WR Montana Lemonious-Craig: The superstar from the spring game is one of the highest-profile departures from the roster. He is already receiving offers from FBS programs according to his Twitter account.
- DB Jeremy Mack Jr: The 6-foot junior was a junior college transfer from East Mississippi CC who had 48 tackles last season with four starts.
- CB Jason Oliver Jr: The rising sophomore defensive back had 11 tackles in 2022 — mostly as a reserve and on special teams. The 6-foot, 175-pounder wasn’t expected to see much action in 2023.
- WR Grant Page: A 6-foot-3, 200-pound rising redshirt freshman who was an option for rotational snaps. He played in two games in 2022.
- WR Ty Robinson: The junior entered the transfer portal after catching nine passes for for 95 yards and a touchdown over his career.
- DB Oakie Salave’a: Salave’a is a 6-foot-4, 220-pound rising redshirt freshman came to Colorado as a three-star athlete in the Class of 2022. He did not record any stats as a true freshman.
- LB Aubrey Smith: Smith had eight tackles and one sack as a true freshman. He was a three-star prospect in the Class of Buford (Georgia) High School.
- DB Xavier Smith: The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder from metro Atlanta signed as a three-star prospect in the Class of 2022. The speedster was the Georgia Region 4-AAAAAA Player of The Year in 2021.
- RB Deion Smith: Smith was a three-star prospect in the Class of 2018 out of Houston.
- WR Chase Sowell: Sowell entered the portal on Saturday. The rising redshirt freshman had two catches for 23 yards in three games last year, and was expected to contend for playing time in 2023.
- DB Tyrin Taylor: The rising junior had 26 tackles and one interception last season. He was expected to contend for playing time as a starter for the Buffaloes prior to entering the portal.
- WR Jordyn Tyson: The leading receiver from last season was a three-star prospect prior to his success with the Buffaloes in 2022.
- RB Victor Venn: A three-star member of the Buffs’ 2022 class, Venn didn’t record any stats a season ago but had some breakout moments during the team’s spring game.
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