A Fresh Start in Atlanta
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is approaching Thursday night's season opener at Georgia Tech with renewed energy, a stark contrast to a year ago when he was battling bladder cancer. Sanders spent the spring and summer of 2025 fighting and ultimately overcoming the disease, a battle that took a toll as Colorado opened its third season under him with a home loss to Georgia Tech, a trend that continued through a 3-9 campaign.
Now, as Sanders' fourth season at Colorado kicks off with a rematch at Georgia Tech, he says he is refreshed and energized. "We have stages," Sanders said this week, according to the Denver Post. "We have deadlines. We have points that we gotta hit. We're right where we want to be. I like where we are. We're right where we want to be. Everything is on a timeline. We're going to hit those marks strategically."
Sanders' optimism is rooted in the team's speed, which he believes will be evident on both sides of the ball. "I want to see how they get to the ball, defensively," Sanders said during his final pregame media session on Monday, as reported by the Boulder Daily Camera. "Because (Chris) Marve has them flying. They're flying to the ball. When you fly to the ball like that you should see turnovers, consequently. I want to see the explosiveness of some of the (running) backs that we have."
New Faces and New Schemes
Colorado will debut a new Go-Go offense under coordinator Brennan Marion, and Sanders expects at least four running backs to see time in the opener. The battle to replace kicker Alejandro Mata remains ongoing, Sanders said, noting, "We haven't decided that yet."
Julian Lewis, a second-year quarterback, is the regular starter and will be asked to orchestrate Marion's up-tempo offense. Lewis, a redshirt freshman, will step onto the field in his home state of Georgia, adding a personal dimension to the matchup.
The defensive side has also seen significant turnover, with 22 of the 24 players on Colorado's active defensive two-deep being new transfers, according to Essentially Sports. The Buffaloes have brought in a wave of bulkier, more agile interior defensive linemen to close the rushing lanes that Georgia Tech exploited last year.
The Challenge Ahead
Sanders is not taking Georgia Tech lightly. "It's a great matchup. It really is," he said, according to the Denver Post. "We're doing primarily the same thing they're doing. A couple guys that once played here that play over there. It's going to be fun. I admire and respect their head coach (Brent Key) so darn much. I really do. Love the city. All the way across the board, it's a good match. It really is."
Sanders also referred to the looming reunion with former Buffs Tawfiq Thomas and Savion Riley, who now play for Georgia Tech. "Coach Key is one of my favorites," Sanders said at Colorado's press conference on August 31, as reported by Essentially Sports. "Played the game, tough. Hard no's. He is a detailed coach. It's going to be a tremendous challenge, but I love it. I absolutely love it."
A Different Georgia Tech Quarterback
One notable difference from last year's meeting is the absence of Haynes King, who was a one-man wrecking crew for Georgia Tech in the 2025 matchup. King scampered for 156 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the Yellow Jackets' 27-20 win at Folsom Field. He threw a costly interception to Colorado cornerback DJ McKinney and fumbled a ball that was lost, but he rebounded to lead a critical five-play drive late in the fourth quarter, running 45 yards for the game-winning touchdown with just over a minute remaining.
Colorado failed to sack King a single time, and the Yellow Jackets piled up 320 rushing yards. "Thank God the quarterback is gone," Sanders said, according to Essentially Sports. "That kid refused to lose a year ago, and he was definitely a difference-maker. I think he had a what? A 140 rushing, something like that… This is a great team, though, man. I love it."
Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key has named transfer Alberto Mendoza as the starting quarterback. Mendoza, the brother of Fernando Mendoza, who was a backup at Indiana last year, is highly mobile and thrives on engineered quarterback runs. His ground capabilities complement dynamic running back Justice Haynes, and he is expected to run Key's heavy run-pass options with high efficiency and mistake-free ball security.
Looking Forward
Sanders is focused on the task at hand, not the nostalgia of returning to Atlanta, where he was picked fifth overall by the Falcons and played five of his 14 NFL seasons. "That city had some meaningful moments, but we're going there with one purpose, and that's to win," he said, as reported by the Denver Post.
As the Buffaloes prepare for the Thursday night kickoff, Sanders is confident in the progress his team has made. "We're going to practice that morning (Tuesday) that we leave," he said. "Have another walk-through probably when we get there. So we're gonna get our work in. And that's the main thing. Just getting the work in and not making things too complicated where the kids gotta think too much. Just let them play football and have fun while they're doing what they do."