Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi criticized Colorado sideline boss Deion Sanders for how he’s building the Buffaloes’ roster in his first year with the team.
“That’s not the way it’s meant to be,” Narduzzi recently told 247Sports’ Brandon Marcello. “That’s not what the rule intended to be. It was not to overhaul your roster. We’ll see how it works out but that, to me, looks bad on college football coaches across the country. The reflection is on one guy right now, but when you look at it overall … I don’t know how many of those 70 that left really wanted to leave, or they were kicked in the butt to get out.”
Sanders has undertaken the biggest Year 1 roster flip in the transfer portal era since Colorado hired him from Jackson State in December. More than 50 Buffaloes players have entered the portal since his arrival, including Montana Lemonious-Craig and Jordyn Tyson, the team’s top wide receivers last season.
The NCAA allows first-year coaches to remove players from the roster as long as they remain on scholarship.
“I grew up in a profession that you can’t tell a guy that he has to leave based on athletic ability,” said Narduzzi, who’s 62-41 across eight seasons with the Panthers. “I think he’ll be shocked that he probably had some pretty good football players in that room. When I got to Pitt back in 2015, I didn’t kick anybody off. Zero. Those are your guys. When you become a head coach, you inherit that team and you coach that team. If someone wants to leave, that’s great. You don’t kick them out. I disagree with that whole process. That’s not why I got in the game.”
Narduzzi added, “He’s not the only new head coach in college football. You hear about that anywhere else? No.”
The Sanders-led Colorado program has also added high-profile players this year, including Cormani McClain, Travis Hunter, and Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son.
Colorado athletic director Rick George recently expressed support for Sanders, saying, “This is his way to do it.”
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