The Colorado Buffaloes football program under Deion Sanders is losing its luster, if one is to base it on the attendance at the team’s spring games.
According to data collected by College Sports Only, attendance at the Buffaloes’ spring games since Sanders took over the program in 2023 has been in sharp decline.
There were over 47,000 people who went to Colorado’s spring game in 2023, which was the height of the program’s hype following Sanders’ arrival to the program. The following year, that number dropped to 28,000. In 20,000 fans watched the spring game. On Saturday, the trend continued, as 17,500 people attended the game at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo.
Colorado spring game attendance under Deion Sanders:
— College Sports Only (@CSOonX) April 13, 2026
2023: 47,277
2024: 28,424
2025: 20,430
2026: ~17,500
While 17,500 is still way more than the year before Coach Prime got to Boulder (~2,000), everything about CU's program feels like it's headed in reverse… 📉 pic.twitter.com/UuMFABfiYI
However, there is a discrepancy in the reporting of the actual number of attendees at the 2026 spring game. The University of Colorado said there were 27,772 people in attendance, while Sean Keeler of The Denver Post estimated the figure at 17,000-18,000.
There is one proven way to boost interest from fans and students in a football program, and it’s winning games. Sanders will always get attention and grab headlines, but at the end of the day, it’s team success that fans will gravitate toward most.
After winning nine games and earning a bowl invite in 2024, Colorado regressed in 2025, going just 3–9, as the Buffaloes struggled mightily in their first year without Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders.
