Smith criticizes Sanders’ handling of departures at Colorado amid rebuilding efforts

Former Colorado Buffaloes safety Xavier Smith shared his thoughts on why he left the program after Deion Sanders took over as head coach. According to an article published by The Athletic, Smith criticized how Sanders dealt with players who were still around when Karl Dorrell was fired and Mike MacIntyre wasn’t retained. While Sanders’ arrival brought attention back to the football team following his high-profile move from Jackson State, Smith felt that Sanders could have handled things differently regarding player confidence and belief in themselves. During a meeting with Sanders after entering his redshirt freshman year trying to recover from injuries, Smith was told by Sanders he should “probably hit the portal” as he didn’t want him to waste a year thinking he could earn a spot on the team. This left Smith feeling angry and upset because Sanders had never tried getting to know him properly. The new head coach spoke frankly during his first spring game, saying they were moving forward with players they really identified with instead of retaining others in an aggressive plan for rebuilding the program quickly. Despite this, Sanders also emphasized hope after last year’s National Signing Day and claimed that their recruits could score points or prevent them from happening as well.