While the Colorado Buffaloes have seen a steady stream of players declare for the NFL Draft, the latest announcement from a longtime Deion Sanders loyalist hits differently. January 15 brought another name to the list, and this one hits differently. Longtime Deion Sanders loyalist Alejandro Mata, who followed Coach Prime from Jackson State to Boulder, is heading to the league.

“2026 NFL Draft Declaration,” read Colorado kicker Mata’s statement as tweeted. “First, I want thank God for giving me this opportunity of playing a sport that I love for the last four years of my life at a collegiate level.”

An actual weapon in Deion’s arsenal, Mata exits with 204 points, ninth all-time at Colorado and fourth among kickers. His 31 made field goals rank sixth in program history, and his 81.5% accuracy set a new benchmark.

Mata kicked off his college career at Jackson State in 2021 under Deion. After Coach Prime took the Colorado job following the 2022 season, he entered the portal and made the same jump to Boulder.

Likewise, when deep-diving into his stats, Mata ranks ninth in Colorado’s record book with 38 field-goal attempts. He was even better on PATs, drilling 110 of 112 kicks, a 98.2% success rate that places him second all-time among CU kickers with at least 100 attempts.

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“I knew it was Colorado from the day I hit the transfer portal,” an emotional Mata said during the Big 12 Media Days back in July. “Having that relationship with him (Deion Sanders) is great. Having his trust, knowing Coach Prime is behind you no matter what you do. That definitely helps my mental state, which helps me perform in games.”

When asked about his favorite memory with Deion, he pointed to a moment off the stat sheet. Fluent in Spanish and English, he translated Deion’s postgame speech while the two were at Jackson State.

It’s a tough send-off for Coach Prime, but the transition is already underway with a new commitment in place. Already prepared for Mata graduating, Deion took a dip in the offseason and found his next kicker from the FCS ranks. 

Colorado sealed the commitment of Grambling State’s Josh McCormick. He is the same kicker who buried a 44-yard walk-off field goal versus Jackson State in 2025.

Deion can’t stop the draft calls, but the transfer portal just handed him another headache.

Deion Sanders lands in the hot seat with a transfer portal loss

A more significant loss for the Buffaloes quickly overshadowed the news of Mata’s departure, as five-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, who shared a strong bond with Deion Sanders, announced his entry into the transfer portal.

But on January 12, he decided to try his luck somewhere else and hit the portal. This has been Colorado’s most significant portal loss yet, as Seaton was viewed as a long-term anchor for the offensive line.

As if the loss was not enough for Deion to handle, an alum pointed fingers at the head coach.

“Money has something to do with this, so Coach Prime, please stop talking about money publicly. Please have a little bit of business acumen,” Colorado alum and former NFL player Matt McChesney mentioned. He thinks it’s Deion’s reluctance to pay top players that triggered Seaton’s exit. 

With Seaton back in the portal, he’s one of the hottest commodities in the country. Nearly nine programs are already chasing him. Within days, the former Deion Sanders recruit completed his first visit to Mississippi State.

Sanders might be surprised to find his old friend, Michael Irvin, now trying to reel Seaton to Miami. Coach Prime can breathe easy after replacing Alejandro Mata, but now the bigger challenge looms to fill the Jordan Seaton-sized gap.