Deion Sanders, Colorado Lose Omarion Cooper, Kendal Stewart to CFB Transfer Portal | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Colorado and Deion Sanders have lost a pair of players to the transfer portal.
Cornerback Omarion Cooper and wide receiver Kendal Stewart announced on social media Monday that they will transfer away from the Buffaloes.
𝑶𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓 ¹ @OmarionC2I am officially in the Transfer Portal..✝️
Kendal Stewart @KendalStewart154 years of eligibility left. <a href="">
Both players spent just one season with Colorado. Cooper joined Sanders ahead of the 2023 season, transferring from Florida State, and notched 37 tackles, five passes deflected and a sack. Stewart, a redshirt freshman, did not see any action with the Buffaloes in 2023.
Cooper had the best season of his career with Colorado, but now will look to find success elsewhere. He was a 4-star prospect according to 247Sports composite coming out of high school and held offers from Arkansas, Florida and others before ultimately committing to the Seminoles.
Cooper has two years of eligibility remaining.
Stewart was unranked coming out of high school, according to 247Sports composite, but managed to get an offer from Sanders and Colorado. After not seeing the field his freshman season, he'll look to start somewhere new with four years of eligibility remaining.
With Cooper and Stewart's departures, the Buffaloes have now lost more than 40 players to the portal since the end of the 2023 season. While there has been a mass departure, Colorado has also brought in 33 players through the portal and has the No. 6 transfer ranking via 247Sports.
While losing so many players through the portal might make for a stressful year, Sanders trusts his team will be in a good position next season.
"I think we got some [starting-caliber players] coming in from visits pretty soon, maybe even this weekend, but we can attract those type of players," Sanders said, per ESPN's Kyle Bonagura. "I don't think we're losing those type of players, and if we do, we're good. We're good. We're making a big deal out of nothing."
The pressure is on for Colorado after a shaky start to the Sanders Era in 2023. The Buffaloes came out strong, winning their first three games, but lost eight of their last nine games to finish 4-8.
