From “play for click” to “tampering,” Deion Sanders and Colorado Buffaloes are going through nothing less than a rollercoaster ride. With a new day comes a new accusation. Now that the transfer portal is closed, some screenshots have been doing the rounds around the internet holding the Buffaloes program responsible for poaching players.

On Kevin Borba’s Locked in Buffs podcast, the man in question is Deion Sanders’ assistant coach, Devin Ripress. While the integrity of the source is yet to be confirmed, Ripress has come up with his part of the story. 

Tampering allegations rock the Buffaloes

The Buffaloes were reeling from a series of departures when a bombshell dropped. On Borba’s podcast, the host reveals, “On May 30th, a Thursday, Colorado finds itself accused of tampering, not by a power five program, not by a conference rival, not even by a group of programs, but by a D2 in-state program.” The accusation stems from screenshots allegedly showing a conversation between Ripress and an unnamed player, posted by CSU Pueblo coach Philip Vigil. The caption of Coach Vigil’s post reads, “Hey @NCAA and @Big12Conference, is this considered tampering, or is @Coach2Bless and @CUBuffsFootball able to recruit our current players like this?”

Within some time, the Assistant Director of Player personnel barges in to safeguard his and the program’s reputation. Claiming it to be a false charge, Repress tweeted, “nice try yall been catfished wrong guy brother. You could’ve hit me up before tweeting this and embarrassing your program.” While the blame game continues, it will be a hot-water situation for Deion Sanders. 

Ripple effects of staff’s alleged actions on Deion Sanders

With the college football 2024 season just 100 days away, the pressure mounts on Deion Sanders to safeguard his program’s reputation. However, this task is becoming increasingly complex, with one scandal after another threatening to sully their image. As the program’s leader, any misstep by his staff, such as Ripress in this case, could spell disaster for Coach Prime and undermine all his efforts to make this season a triumph for the Buffs.

The tampering allegations could weigh heavily on their prospects as the Buffaloes gear up for big visits in June, including their pursuit of Julian Lewis as a replacement for Shedeur. Earlier in an interview, he admitted how it is only for Deion Sanders that he wishes to onboard the Buffs’ craft. “I mean I would have never looked at him, smiled at him, none of that stuff but uh yeah. Coach Prime, them going there really really boosted their whole situation,” claimed the player who is probably going to be filling the void that Shedeur will be leaving in the next season.  

The last time when Deion Sanders’ sons Shedeur and Shilo were charged of poaching by openly recruiting players on Instagram, Coach Prime did support them and their endeavor. Will he do the same for his Assistant Director of Player personnel?