Fisher Clements came to Colorado to bolster his own resume, but he was not going to have it easy. During a session in the Buffs’ ongoing spring camp, head coach Deion Sanders told him to man up when he took a hit from another player. “Knock his head off,” the coach said. Clearly not having faced that kind of reaction before, the transfer tight end was caught off guard. Days later, Clements opened up about his feelings about the incident. 

“I always think like, once a play ends, the play ends,” Clements said in a presser about that interaction with Coach Prime. “He got on me about it, and I appreciate it…Maybe in the moment it hurts a little bit, but it wasn’t anything personal, I know. Now I know going forward, that’s what he wants, and that’s what I can give him.”

Fisher Clements was not a much-talked-about prospect when he transferred to Colorado. He transferred out of Northern Colorado because he wanted more competition, since he spent 4 years with the team and went 8-38. But Clements also needed to toughen up at Colorado, because these players are in a completely different mindset. Colorado has locked in to improve their 3-9 record from last year; tempers will flare in such an environment. And, Deion Sanders has already admitted before that he will not break up a fight.

He sees these moments as opportunities for the team to come together, and dislikes it when players try to walk away from them. Not long before the Clements incident, Sanders had rounded up his players after a larger scuffle broke out at practice. “I don’t mind that,” Sanders said about the hits thrown. “But we’re going to keep it wholesome…We’re teammates.” This incident drew some flak online, as it came off as a sign of bad culture. On3’s JD PicKell, however, sided with Coach Prime

“Competitors compete, things boil over,” he said. “If you’re not doing this at any point during spring practice or fall camp, you got a problem with your football team.”

These players have no choice but to develop a thick skin because there is a lot of pressure on them entering the 2026 season. Fisher Clements, too, has a role to play.

Fisher Clements has big things to prove in Deion Sanders’ camp

Since Deion Sanders became head coach, tight ends have rarely been featured in the offense. Since 2023, only 52 receptions have been caught by Colorado TEs. But that will no longer be the case in the explosive ‘Go-Go’ offense, which will be rolled out by new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion. Apart from the change in system, Fisher will also be stepping into a room that only has one prolific TE: Zach Atkins. 

Clements may not light up the box score, recording 11 grabs for 83 yards in four years. But he is now the next best choice after Atkins in the TE depth chart. Clements has played 646 snaps and could be used as an athletic run blocker, since a strong run game is the signature of Marion’s offense. He could even be a good target for quarterback Julian Lewis, especially in the red zone.

Fisher Clements will have to adapt quickly to an extremely demanding environment at Colorado. After all, he is stepping into a side that ranked second-worst in the Big 12. The TE might as well use Deion Sanders’ lesson on developing a no-nonsense attitude to script a breakout moment for Colorado this season.