Deion Sanders, coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, laid out his quarterback plan for Isaac Wilson this week in blunt terms after Wilson tossed three picks in his last outing: “Make sure you throw the ball to the guys on our team.” Coach Prime said he meant it with a sense of humor, but there’s nothing funny about Colorado’s quarterback situation right now, especially with the No. 11 Utah Utes coming to town this Saturday.
Wilson’s Rollercoaster Ride and the Buffs’ Slide
Isaac Wilson is set to start his second consecutive game at quarterback for the Buffaloes, this time against his old squad, Utah. Sanders claims Wilson is “up to the task,” but it’s a tough spot to be in. Wilson started seven games as a freshman for Utah before making the transfer to Colorado, and he is coming off a bye week following a brutal 29-7 loss against Texas Tech. What happened in that game? Wilson threw three interceptions in the second half as the Buffs stumbled to 2-3, their third straight loss. He only just replaced Julian Lewis, who had his own struggles as the starter through the first four games of the season. At least receiver Joseph Williams is backing him up, saying Wilson is “a great leader,” and this week is “going to be a real big week for him.” Let’s hope so.
Numbers Don’t Lie: A Team in Crisis
Just how bad has the quarterback situation been under Coach Prime since his son, Shedeur, last played for the Buffaloes in 2024? Colorado finished 9-4 that year, but it’s been a carousel of four different starting quarterbacks since then. This year, with three straight losses, the offensive stats are a flat-out disaster. We’re talking 122nd out of 138 major college football teams in scoring offense, averaging a paltry 18.6 points per game. Their red zone offense? 133rd at a miserable 64%. Third-down conversion is 105th at 35.6%, and fourth-down? 118th at 35.7%. Yeah, that means they can’t score points or sustain drives even when they actually get close. Despite all this, Sanders hasn’t even considered changing offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, who is only five games into the job. Coach Prime still believes in him. For context, Sanders’ record against Power Four conference teams since Shedeur left is a brutal 2-12. His predecessor, Karl Dorrell, was 3-12 against power conference teams before he got canned in 2022. That is not the kind of progress fans expect.
Who’s Next Up in the QB Room?
So, with all this chaos, is yet another quarterback on tap for Deion Sanders? It looks like it. There is a strong chance that freshman Kaneal Sweetwyne, a 6-foot-3 dual-threat recruit from Lehi, Utah, might get a shot. How do we know? A big clue dropped earlier this week when one of Sweetwyne’s teammates, receiver Quanell Farrakhan, hit social media to announce he’s rocking a new jersey number, changing from 14 to 5. Sweetwyne also wears number 14, and you can’t have two guys on the field with the same number. That jersey swap means Colorado wants to play both of them. So, just when you thought the QB situation couldn’t get any wilder, Deion looks ready to unleash a new arm.
The Buffaloes now face what is maybe the toughest team on their schedule at home against the No. 11, 5-0 Utah Utes. Can Isaac Wilson finally turn things around after that direct message from his coach, or will we actually see freshman Kaneal Sweetwyne enter the fray? Saturday night is going to be a must-watch for all the wrong reasons if things don’t change fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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