The Colorado Buffaloes football program and head coach Deion Sanders have committed 11 minor NCAA Violations since Sanders became the head coach in December of 2022.
The Colorado Buffaloes committed 16 violations in total across all of their athletics programs. Colorado self-reported the violations in an effort to get ahead of the potential sanctions the NCAA could place upon them.
The University of Colorado-Boulder Athletic Department made a statement in an article from USA Today regarding the violations.
“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, “the statement said. “We take all infractions seriously, regardless of the severity, and in these specific cases, these minor infractions were all self-reported to the NCAA.”
Some violations had to do with Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders’ use of social media

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders is known for his outspoken ways. Part of that persona involves Sanders’ use of social media, which can easily violate NCAA rules.
One violation occurred when Colorado was already serving a penalty for another recruiting violation. Colorado and its coaches were not supposed to be doing any recruiting in May of 2023. That’s when Sanders had an Instagram Live session that featured a recruiting prospect.
Another incident occurred when Sanders featured a list of recruits on social media. It is against NCAA rules to share recruits publicly when they have not announced a commitment to the team.
Sanders also posted a video of his team engaged in voluntary workouts. Voluntary workouts are not to be recorded as they are not supposed to be an official part of the team’s improvement plan. The recording of these means they could have been used to help coaches or other athletes. Had the workout not been recorded, there would have been no infraction.
Other infractions committed by Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders involved overstepping the bounds of recruitment

Sanders committed other violations such as hosting players at a camp that were not actively in the transfer portal, allowing a recruit to run on the field with the team and allowing a recruit to participate in a “gameday simulation.” The recruit allegedly wore a uniform and lined up in an athletic stance on the field. Another recruit had access to premium seating that violated NCAA rules.
Sanders also took a picture with a recruit, which was considered impermissible contact. Sanders also violated a tampering rule when he received a transcript for a player that was not yet in the portal.
Another violation committed by Sanders involved a yoga session. He had an outside yoga coach come in and hold a yoga session with the team, which put Colorado over the allotted amount of strength and conditioning coaches that they were allowed.
The act of self-reporting these violations could keep Sanders and the Buffaloes out of a lot of trouble. Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh committed similarly minor violations, but they were not self-reported and the Wolverines will be facing sanctions for those violations which have yet to be doled out by the NCAA.
Sanders is already a controversial figure in the world of college sports, and these violations may not help his cause. Sanders indirectly addressed the self-reported violations via social media.
Don’t we all have ISSUES that we pray we overcome, handle & attack them head on. Let’s not allow these shortcomings to eliminate a tremendous opportunity or a moment that could change your life. If we’re totally honest the majority of our ISSUES IS-YOU ! #CoachPrime
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) January 25, 2024
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