Colorado is back on campus and beginning to prepare for the Alamo Bowl against BYU.

The Cougars present a unique matchup as a conference opponent that finished tied in the Big 12 with the Buffs, so Deion Sanders and company will have a little bit of extra motivation for the Dec. 28 matchup. A win here could also set the tone for the 2025 meeting between BYU and Colorado.

The Buffs also have a plethora of players looking to improve their draft stock to go along with Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, who will try to cement their status as two of the top prospects in the nation.

Deion Sanders spoke to the media on Tuesday before the Buffs head out to San Antonio for their final game of the season. Here are five takeaways from the press conference.

Saturday, Travis Hunter became the second player in Colorado history to win the Heisman Trophy. Hunter has been one of the best wide receivers and cornerbacks in college football for two seasons at CU, and it all culminated with a laundry list of awards last week.

On Tuesday, Deion Sanders said he knew that Hunter had this in him since the first time he saw him on the practice field.

“When I saw him practice his first day at Jackson State,” Sanders said. “That’s when. When he went out there at receiver and did his thing, and then went from playing receiver to defensive back and shut it down. I knew right then it was something special. It’s one thing to watch highlights of a young man in high school but it’s another to see it in person. When you know the game and when you know athleticism and when you know what I know and come from where I come from, you know when you see something that’s abnormal. This kid from day one has been abnormal with an appetite to dominate. He never relinquished that.”

There has been a lot of national discussion in recent days about the timing of the transfer portal window in relation to bowl season and the College Football Playoff. The conversation was sparked when Penn State backup quarterback Beau Pribula, who plays a lot in short-yardage packages, stepped away from the team to enter the portal before the Nittany Lions’ CFP first round game on Saturday.

Tuesday, Sanders said that instances like that, and all other transfer portal moves, should be par for the course in the modern era of college football.

“Transfer portal should be no surprise,” Sanders said. “You’re probably going to lose two guys you didn’t expect and you’re probably going to gain some guys you didn’t expect, but you gotta have a board and do your studies and you’ve gotta understand, this is what’s gonna happen. I’m prepared for that. I know this is gonna happen. I don’t think the portal has ever been a surprise for us.”

Multiple Colorado players have entered the transfer portal already since the window recently opened. There haven’t been many surprises other than the decision from starting linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green, one of the Buffs’ best defensive players this season.

According to Sanders, Hill-Green and the other players intending to transfer are not practicing or playing with CU anymore this season.

“Any of our guys that wanted to get in the portal, get in the portal,” Sanders said. “You’re not gonna come here and practice and eat and be merry and have a Merry Christmas with us and then leave right after the game. I call that using somebody. You’re not gonna use us. I’m gonna help you by all means and I’ve helped several players get to other schools already along with the staff. But you’re not going to participate with us and do all that and then leave, that’s not fair to some of the other teammates that want to play and deserve to play.”

Reserve linebacker Jeremiah Brown, who redshirted this year and was originally in the portal, has withdrawn and is returning to CU next season. That also makes him a key piece in the middle of the Buffs’ defense in the Alamo Bowl.

Colorado is reloading in the transfer portal just like it did over the past two seasons, with key visits coming up during the next two weeks. The Buffs have already landed commitments from former Louisiana-Monroe offensive lineman Carter Miller, Alabama defensive tackle Jehiem Oatis and Northwest Missouri State tight end Zach Atkins.

On Tuesday, Sanders hinted at some more commitments coming very soon.

“Glad to be back playing football,” Sanders said. “We never stop recruiting, so I haven’t left doing that. We have some wonderful, phenomenal young men up here that we want to join this magnificent team. I think we’ve secured commitments from darn near everybody. They probably haven’t committed yet, but I know what I know. They’re gonna help us in tremendous positions and the quality of the young men that we’re getting is phenomenal.”

The Buffs will have some holes to fill on their roster, and the portal was a great avenue towards accomplishing that last offseason. To nobody’s surprise, that appears to be the case yet again.

Julian Lewis, one of the top quarterback prospects in the class of 2025, officially signed with CU this month and is in line to be the quarterback of the future for Deion Sanders and company, whether that be in 2025 or after that.

Sanders provided an interesting angle into what the Buffs saw in Lewis that allowed him to stick out to them early in the recruiting process.

“I think smart coaches at this level understand what has worked for them and they try their best to replicate that. Shedeur has worked really well for us,” Sanders said. “I saw a lot of similarities in the way Julian’s life has been structured, speaking to his father a multitude of times. Understanding how he came up, what he wants out of life, what he wants out of the game and from the game and what he gives the game. The similarities are unbelievable.”

Sanders also went on to highlight that Lewis is a “winner” which is an important trait for Colorado in recruiting. He and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur both backed Lewis and are very excited for what the future holds for him.