Father of latest Colorado transfer sounds off on Deion Sanders' coaching staff
Another day of the spring transfer portal, and there's yet another Colorado Buffalo who has made his way out of Deion Sanders' program. Sanders famously took over the Colorado head coaching job last offseason, vowing to bring in a new roster via the portal. He's succeeded in revamping the 85-man roster, but running back Alton […]
Another day of the spring transfer portal, and there's yet another Colorado Buffalo who has made his way out of Deion Sanders' program. Sanders famously took over the Colorado head coaching job last offseason, vowing to bring in a new roster via the portal. He's succeeded in revamping the 85-man roster, but running back Alton McCaskill is the latest talent to jump ship.
McCaskill joined the Buffaloes last offseason from the University of Houston. He won AAC Freshman of the Year in 2021, totaling 961 rushing yards and 16 scores. He tore his ACL in 2022, missing the entire season, before coming to Boulder.
The former 4-star transfer prospect played in only four games, resulting in a redshirt season. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining and should be in high demand. Colorado, bringing back Dylan Edwards and linked to Ohio State RB Dallan Hayden, could've used McCaskill in 2024 if they fail to bring in Hayden.
The father of the 6'1", 200-pound back took to Twitter/X to air his own grievances with Sanders and the Buffaloes coaching staff. Alton McCaskill III tweeted that his son was ready and healthy to play in 2023, and the staff showed favoritism despite his ability to impact the team.
Edwards led the Buffaloes with only 321 rushing yards last year, and Anthony Hankerson finished second with 319. The team failed to reach the 1,000-yard mark and averaged an embarrassing 2.3 yards per carry. Even if McCaskill was ready for a bigger role than the fourth-leading rusher, the offensive line was completely incapable of helping him.
The criticism of a coaching staff's favoritism is a little odd. Coaches play who they trust, which is inherently somewhat of a form of favoritism. They also recruited Edwards, who was relatively effective, so it's not as if McCaskill was buried behind bums who couldn't play at a decent level.
The younger McCaskill responded with his own post, apologizing and explaining that any opinions that have not come straight from his mouth are not a reflection of him. It's smart to distance himself from his father here, as blaming the coaches for the situation never ends well.
Now, the talented back is looking to restart his career again and get back to the explosive playmaker who looked like a future NFL contributor. There's always a need for speed, and McCaskill had some of the best jets in the sport in 2021.
Meanwhile, Sanders and his program are in a dire situation. Almost 15 players have entered the portal and the lack of proven talent available is lacking. Considering their lack of depth, the Buffaloes might be even worse off in 2024 than in 2023.
