Just when Deion Sanders thought he was making major strides with his team, they hit a major roadblock. With the spring game wrapped up, Colorado saw chemistry between all the new transfer players and recruits. Coach Prime was finally seeing some momentum. But their dip from last year’s production just put them in the worst position in the Big 12.

Teams in the Big 12 are all over the place when it comes to returning snaps. For example, BYU is returning about 63% of its snaps (3rd in college football). Texas Tech is returning around 52% in 21st position, and Houston is close to 50% in 30th position. But Colorado’s situation is entirely grim. The Buffs are returning just 21% of their snaps, ranking them 127th among FBS teams.

The calculations around returning production have not been perfect, as they only include starters and ignore backups and rotation players. Oftentimes, backups go on to start for college teams when seniors go to the pros. That’s why another method called returning snaps is used. This metric looks at how much actual playing time (snaps) from last season is coming back. It includes both starters and other players who were on the field, giving a fuller picture of the team.

After a tough 3-9 season, Deion Sanders’ teams saw a major dip in their return rate. They lost more than 45 players to the transfer portal. They recorded just 55% of the returning positions. Now, they were successful in saving key players like quarterback Julian Lewis, wide receiver Joseph Williams, running back Micah Welch, and linebacker Kylan Salter, but that was far less than the production they lost.

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