Colorado Buffaloes had already given Gus Malzahn and his squad enough trauma that would make them fear anything black and gold for the longest time. But they had no premonition that their after-effects were going to be so wild. Right after the Buffs’ disastrous 21-48 loss against the Knights, the Knights WR decided to call it quits by joining the transfer portal. Even though the Buffs are to be blamed for things taking an ugly turn in the Boulder hood, the Colorado prodigy Nwankwo Chidozie dropped in with his emotional one-word response. While most UCF flips are happening because of their loss of trust in Malzahn, the CU prodigy is not going to go anywhere anytime soon as he worships Deion Sanders.  

The wounds of the Colorado loss are still fresh. Just then, Knights’ WR Xavier Townsend planned to redshirt and enter the portal. On October 3, Malzahn’s powerful weapon confirmed the news on Instagram where he wrote, “It was not an easy decision, but after deep thought I’ve decided to use my redshirt year  and will be entering the transfer portal.” As College Sports Fan Content broke the news, the Buffs prodigy Nwankwo reshared it with the caption, “Damnnn 😥.” 

Even though he belongs to the rival team for whom UCF has been thrown under the bus, still it shocks Nwankwo not to see someone as powerful as Townsend play. For this season, the star came up with his breakout stint recording four receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown along with 30 yards rushing. However, all went in vain when UCF fell prey to Colorado’s rage.  

While Malzahn can’t be blamed for everything, his game plan did falter on the big day. For instance, going by Deion’s crew’s records, the Buffs were likely to prevail in trenches on both sides of the ball. In that case, the Knights HC should have bolstered their offense and would have stopped their QB KJ Jefferson from getting sacked five times. Even though only Townsend’s departure got Nwankwo emotional, the UCF defensive back Byron Threats too plans to redshirt this season. Seems like the trust has gone on a ‘rust’ trip with the UCF HC.  

Chidozie Nwankwo’s emotional connection with Deion Sanders

Malzahn had shot for the stars at the beginning of the season. Much like Deion Sanders, he too tried to pep up the Knights. “We’re a young Power 4 team that is still growing. This is a great opportunity for our program on a national stage. We just have to seize the moment,” motivated the HC. But instead of landing on the moon, the Knights had a nosedive on the ground. But that’s surely not the case for Nwankwo and other Buffs. 

They have a deep bond with Deion Sanders. Well, the roots of the connection go far beyond just on-field game plans, rather Coach Prime’s life philosophy as well. Right before the 2024 season kicked off, the Buffs HC came up with a touching quote, “A child is not a mistake. A child is an opportunity to mature you, grow you, advance you, and give you skills.” 

Being a father of a beautiful daughter, the Buffs defensive tackle got touched deeply and reshared Deion Sanders’ story with the caption, “@elevationscu Thank you for all for this Blessing!!! This is why I love my coach.” That being said, Coach Prime and the Buffaloes turned their off-field trust into on-field thrust, stampeding through Gus Malzahn’s army. 

Besides the post-game scoops, if you want to deepen your knowledge about concepts like NIL and NFL, you can check on the latest episode of the Think Tank podcast.