One of Atlanta’s greatest athletes returns to the city to coach his team for the first Week One matchup of the 2026 college football season. However, it is not quite the blockbuster homecoming showdown that many envisioned when Deion Sanders arrived at Colorado. Sanders is entering his fourth season in Boulder, and he is hoping for some consistency after a rocky and somewhat puzzling first three years. He spent the spring and summer of 2025 battling bladder cancer and its harsh side effects, which limited his ability to coach his team at 100%. Colorado went from 9-4 in 2024 to 3-9 in 2025, with only one Power Four win. Now cancer-free and feeling healthier, Sanders enters 2026 with his full focus back on football and a hope to improve on last year’s record. After last season’s opening thriller, Colorado and Georgia Tech are set to renew their matchup, and this time it’s under the lights at Bobby Dodd. Here is what I think I know before this Thursday night rematch.
Colorado is a completely different team from last year
Colorado is paying the price for a poor 2025 season, having lost 36 players to the transfer portal, including some of their biggest playmakers. The biggest of these names was offensive lineman Jordan Seaton, who left to join Lane Kiffin at LSU. Seaton was the top OL prospect in the portal and was the glue keeping the line together for Colorado. They also lost wide receiver Omarion Miller to Arizona State, who was the fourth-ranked receiver in the portal. Defensively, they lost lineman Jehiem Oatis and star cornerback DJ McKinney. Not only did they forfeit these key players, but they also returned only four starters on offense and none on defense.
While one might think that losing 36 players to the portal is alarming, you will be shocked to learn that Colorado added 43 incoming transfers to their roster to replace those who left. Their top gets include Sacramento State receiver Ernest Campbell, as well as former Texas receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. Tennessee’s Boo Carter was one of the top defensive backs in the country last season, and he comes to Boulder to help replace the loss of DJ McKinney in the secondary. Sanders has even said he thinks Carter is a first-rounder and that Colorado will utilize him at both nickel and corner. The defense is getting a coaching makeover as well, as linebackers coach Chris Marve was promoted to defensive coordinator after Robert Livingston left for the NFL. They return key safety Ben Finneseth, who has stepped up as a leader for this defense, but they really have no significant returning production after that. This will be a completely new defense from top to bottom, which makes them very hard to prepare for.
Quarterback Julian Lewis is returning, and he struggled last year, which many blame on their less-than-average offensive line. However, he has the talent to be a great college quarterback and will be the main guy for the Buffaloes this year, with Utah transfer Isaac Wilson as the projected backup. To help Julian Lewis kickstart the offense, Colorado has brought in Brennan Marion as their offensive coordinator. He was the OC at UNLV from 2023-2024, and then was the head coach at Sacramento State in 2025. He has a go-go system that emphasizes the run game, which the Buffaloes desperately need. They averaged 125.6 rush yards per game in 2025 and 65.2 rush yards per game in 2024. No good offense can rely on a single aspect, so if Colorado wants to be successful, it must start running the ball more effectively. Marion has his hands full, and it will be interesting to see if he can deliver.
Colorado enters 2026 with a new roster, a new coordinator, and a young quarterback. Every year, the Buffaloes have had significant roster turnover and plenty of talent, but it is hard to tell in the preseason how it will work out for them. This could be another year, same story in Boulder, but if Deion can put the pieces together, Colorado might surprise some people.
Some Georgia Tech fans and the media are overlooking Colorado, but they shouldn’t be
There is no doubt that Colorado had a horrid season in 2026, and because of that, many are skipping over this game and looking straight to Tennessee in Week Two. Many people have begun to see Colorado as a joke of a program and do not take Deion Sanders seriously as a head coach. However, this game should be a major focus because of how much about this Colorado team is still unknown. 43 new players and two new coordinators mean that expectations are all over the board. Colorado is completely different, but it does not mean they are going to be worse. If the Jackets drop this opening game, it could put a pretty big dent in the season. It won’t ruin it by any means, but our nonconference schedule is arguably one of the toughest in the Power Four, and a loss where there shouldn’t be one could greatly affect the morale of this team. This is a big game, and the stakes to win big are high. Our fans have not put as much focus on this game, but I sure hope that Coach Key and the players will treat it with utmost importance.
This game will show how much the Jackets’ defense has improved
All I have heard this offseason is that the Jackets have focused on adding size and depth to the defense to be more aggressive and improve turnover margin. The biggest reason for optimism is the new defensive coordinator, Jason Semore. His defenses at Marshall ranked among the nation’s best in generating sacks, finishing 19th nationally in 2023 and ninth in 2024, and his defense at Southern Miss led the country with 23 interceptions last season. There is a lot of buzz and positivity around this side of the ball for the Jackets, especially with Semore now at the helm. After the defensive collapse at the end of last season, I will believe it when I see it. The run defense needs to improve, and we need to play aggressively.
The Jackets return linebacker Kyle Efford, who brings plenty of experience to the defense, and I am excited to see him take on the role of quarterback of this unit. Semore also praised sophomore safety Tae Harris, saying that he has really stepped up as a young leader. If that growth can continue, we should expect big things from him this fall. Tech has not had a truly consistent presence at safety since arguably Jamal Golden or Isaiah Johnson in the Paul Johnson era, so seeing Harris bring some playmaking ability would be warmly welcomed.
On the defensive line, the coaching staff brought in six new defensive linemen, highlighted by Alabama defensive end Noah Carter, Rutgers edge Jordan Walker, and Colorado defensive tackle Tawfiq Thomas. The Jackets have struggled to consistently generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks in recent years, and that has to change if Georgia Tech wants a legitimate shot at an ACC title. Getting after the quarterback will be one of the biggest areas to watch this season.
Ultimately, I am eager to see how all these new faces look on defense and, perhaps more importantly, how they respond to Jason Semore’s coaching. As I said, there has been plenty of talk about a significant improvement on that side of the ball over the spring and fall, and Colorado will provide the Jackets with their first real opportunity to prove that claim is legit. Thursday night will tell us whether the hype was warranted or all talk.
When you take a step back and look at this matchup, the Jackets appear to have the advantage. However, both teams are navigating new coordinators, inexperienced quarterbacks, and a significant number of transfers. Georgia Tech already has an established identity built on physicality and toughness, while Colorado is still searching for a consistent identity under Coach Prime. This could ultimately give the Jackets the edge, but as we all know, anything can happen.
Thursday night under the lights at Bobby Dodd Stadium does not get much better than this. Let’s start the season the right way, secure a Week One win, and beat the Buffalo for the second consecutive year. They deserve it after getting a fifth down anyway.
Go Jackets.