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NCAA, College League, USA Football: Iowa State at Colorado Oct 11, 2025 Boulder, Colorado, USA Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. Boulder Folsom Field Colorado USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRonxChenoyx 20251011_szo_ac4_0065
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NCAA, College League, USA Football: Iowa State at Colorado Oct 11, 2025 Boulder, Colorado, USA Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. Boulder Folsom Field Colorado USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRonxChenoyx 20251011_szo_ac4_0065
Colorado football was thrown into a period of grief on March 1, 2026 when budding quarterback Dominiq Ponder passed away at just 23 years old. Tributes quickly poured in from all nooks and crannies of college football. But beyond the tributes, Colorado Buffaloes’ head coach Deion Sanders and the CU community have been of immense support to the late athlete’s mother in such a trying time.
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In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Ponder’s mother, Catrina Hughes, highlighted how much love and consistent support the family has received from comfort Coach Prime, his son and the program.
“The support from Coach Prime has been everything. He believed in Dom and told him to earn it, and that’s exactly what he did,” Catrina said. “Even now, his support is helping me get through this. It means more than I could ever put into words.”
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The entire Colorado football community has been helpful in cash and kind to Ponder’s family. Just after his death, a GoFundMe fundraiser was raised by his mother with the goal of hitting $100,000. And in just a few days, they had raised $15,000, with a $1,000 contribution coming from his lifelong friend and Florida Gators’ defensive back Devin Moore. Catrina took notice of all this love.
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God please comfort the Ponder family, friends & Loved ones. Dom was one of my favorites! He was Loved, Respected & a Born Leader. Let’s pray for all that knew him & had the opportunity to be in his presence. Lord you’re receiving a good 1. Comfort us Lord Comfort us. #CoachPrime pic.twitter.com/2R7BAVyZ8u
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) March 1, 2026
“The entire Colorado football community has wrapped their arms around us. From Coach Prime to his teammates to the fans, it’s been nothing but love. Even Shedeur has stayed in touch with me, checking in daily. That kind of support… it’s something we’ll never forget.”
Deion Sanders and Colorado football attended Dominiq Ponder’s funeral service. The head coach also gave an emotional eulogy, treating this as a personal loss. During the address, Sanders tearfully told Ponder’s family, that his only regret was that they gave him a boy to coach, and he “wanted to send [them] back a man.”
Colorado will be honoring Dominiq Ponder’s short but impactful legacy by wearing ‘DP22’ on their uniforms this season. It’s a wonderful way to have the late QB still be a part of a season that could have been his breakout year.
Amid the love and support Hughes is getting, she has also taken an initiative of her own to carry ahead her son’s memory.
Dominiq Ponder’s mother gives back to the society
Hughes has launched the 722 Foundation in honor of her departed son. The name honors Ponder’s journey from wearing No. 22 to earning the right to wear a single-digit number (No. 7) on his jersey as a quarterback. The foundation will help in the welfare of student-athletes, children’s hospitals, and families who need medical care. Hughes also hoped that Ponder’s untimely passing would start conversations about prudent decision-making.
“If anything good can come from this loss, it’s the conversations it can start about responsible decision-making, supporting young adults, and making good choices even in ordinary moments,” Hughes told EssentiallySports.
“One bad decision can alter everything. Odds are that 95% of the population has made the same decision, but got lucky, and most would never admit to it…That is a big part of why we are starting the Dominiq Ponder 7/22 Foundation, to help student-athletes, support families, and promote awareness so other families hopefully never have to experience this kind of pain.”
Dominiq passed only a day before he was to wear this special jersey in spring camp. It would have marked the start of a promising career, having made it this far even though he was not able to spend enough time on the field all these years. But in this short time, Dominiq Ponder became a much-loved figure in the team, who will continue to stand by his family.
Written by
Edited by
Afreen Kabir