Deion Sanders said the work has already begun.

After a 3-9 season, the worst of the Coach Prime era, the Colorado coach said the long road back to being a competitive program in the Big 12 started the day after the Buffaloes’ loss at Kansas State in the season finale.

Rick George, the outgoing athletic director who hired Coach Prime, and the entire CU fan base deserved better than what the Buffs showed on the field in 2025, Sanders said. He added he’ll restore the winning ways “if it’s the last thing” he does.

Here’s a five-step checklist for righting the ship this offseason:

1. Retain young core

Sanders talked about it often as the season went the rails, but the Buffs do have a solid young core. Coach Prime said his staff plan for about 10-15% of the roster to enter the transfer portal every year. But there are five players CU can’t afford to lose heading into 2026: freshman QB Julian Lewis, sophomore OL Jordan Seaton, junior WR Omarion Miller, sophomore S Tawfiq Byard and freshman DE London Merritt.

2. Get creative with new offensive coordinator

Imagine where CU would be if it had never let offensive coordinator Sean Lewis leave after one season. Sure, the relationship had soured during the 2023 season, but now Lewis has led San Diego State to a nine-win season and could be the next head coach at a program like UCLA. Even though the Buffs offense shined last season, the lack of an innovative coordinator doomed them from the start in 2025. Pat Shurmur won’t be back. That’s not surprising, but Coach Prime must think outside the box with Shurmur’s replacement. Another NFL retread who hasn’t done much lately won’t cut it again. Here are two suggestions: San Jose State offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann or James Madison offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy.

3. Don’t let loyalty get in the way of new assistants

Speaking of the coaching staff, the changes will go beyond offensive coordinator. Marshall Faulk has already departed to become the head coach at Southern, so Sanders will have a third different running backs coach in as many years. After underwhelming performances at certain position groups, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see new assistant coaches on the defensive line, at linebacker and with the tight ends. Even if it means parting ways with someone like Andre’ Hart, with whom Sanders has worked for a long time, it’s time to do what’s necessary to upgrade every aspect of the coaching staff.

4. Hire a veteran special teams coordinator

There’s a reason three of these steps involve the coaching staff. It fell far short of what is expected for a competitive Big 12 program. Similar to opting for success over loyalty, Coach Prime must find a top notch special teams coordinator with a proven track record of success. The Buffs’ special teams units were solid early in the season. But they dropped off by the end and a new voice is needed to replace Michael Pollock, who took over control of the special teams last offseason.

5. Find 5-7 impact players in the transfer portal

While nailing coaching hires is necessary, so is improving the roster. Sanders has been transparent in his assessment of a transfer portal class that did not contribute in the same way the previous portal class did. There are definitely players to build around on both sides of the ball, but the Buffs are still a handful of impact players away from competing in the Big 12. CU has already proven it can find what it needs in one offseason, so here are the spots that are most important to fill: an impact running back, two offensive linemen, one elite pass rusher, one linebacker and two cornerbacks.