Colorado self-reports 11 minor NCAA violations under Deion Sanders: report

The Colorado football program was the talk of college football in Deion Sanders’ first season as head coach of the Buffaloes. 

The program also committed multiple minor NCAA violations since Sanders’ hiring in December 2022, according to USA Today Sports.  

Colorado Buffaloes and Arizona Wildcats line up against each other in the third quarter at Folsom Field.  (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

The program self-reported 11 minor NCAA violations, according to documents obtained by USA Today Sports. None of the violations carries any serious penalties. 

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"The University of Colorado Boulder Athletic Department is committed to complying with NCAA regulations and will continue to educate our coaches, student-athletes, and staff to ensure that we remain in compliance," Colorado said in a statement to the publication. "We take all infractions seriously, regardless of the severity, and in these specific cases, these minor infractions were all self-reported to the NCAA."

According to USA Today Sports, the violations all appear to be inadvertent and are common in "virtually every major college athletic department." 

Sanders used the transfer portal to infuse his roster with talent following a 1-11 season in 2022. Two of the violations involved the transfer portal. 

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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders heads into the locker room after players warmed up before an NCAA college football game against Southern California, Saturday, September 30, 2023, in Boulder, Colorado.  (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The first occurred in May when Colorado hosted a postgraduate camp in which over 350 players participated. The camp was open to players in the transfer portal and high school graduates. The school reported the participation of seven players who were not "active" in the portal. 

Colorado imposed a two-week ban on all recruiting activity from June 15 to June 28. 

The second violation involving the transfer portal occurred in December 2022, shortly after Sanders was hired. A high school coach submitted an academic transcript to Colorado for a recruit who had yet to enter the transfer portal. 

Among other violations, Colorado self-reported three that involved social media, which Sanders has used to perfection in his coaching career. 

Sanders hosted an Instagram live in May 2023 with a recruiting prospect featured in the stream. Recruits are not allowed to be involved in media activity with the head coach of a school. 

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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, center, exits the field following an NCAA football game against Oregon, Saturday, September 23, 2023, in Eugene, Oregon. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)

In January 2023, Sanders reposted a video of Colorado’s voluntary activities to Instagram. The posting of the video to social media is an NCAA violation. 

Colorado also self-reported impermissible contact with a recruit in May and a recruit gaining access to a premium seating area while attending a game, among other violations.  

The Buffaloes were the talk of college football for the first few weeks of the season after jumping out to a 3-0 start. Colorado fell back to earth following the hot start, losing eight of their final nine games and ending the year on a six-game losing streak.