The temperature around Deion Sanders at Colorado just went up again—this time courtesy of a former Buff with championship hardware.
Christian Fauria, who played tight end at Colorado from 1990 to 1994 before winning two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, unloaded on Sanders during a recent appearance on The Zach Gelb Show. The 54-year-old didn’t hedge when asked about the Buffaloes’ head coach.
“I’m just not a fan of the coach,” Fauria said. “I’m not. I’ll never be a fan of the coach. I love the school.”
He made it clear his criticism isn’t selective. “The worst coach I’ve ever had was Joe Gibbs,” he said, referencing his time in Washington. “So me picking on Deion Sanders is nothing.”
But his assessment of Sanders was blunt. “I just don’t like the way he coaches football,” Fauria said. “I don’t think he’s very bright. I don’t think he can manage a game. I think there’s a lot of flash, but I think there’s no substance.” He went further, saying Sanders has “a lot of people, like, brainwashed.”
Fauria’s ties to the program aren’t just historical. His son Caleb was on Colorado’s roster when Sanders arrived in December 2022 before transferring to Delaware ahead of the 2024 season.
Sanders’ tenure in Boulder has been uneven. After taking over a 1-11 team, he guided Colorado to a 9-4 season in 2024, with two-way standout Travis Hunter capturing the Heisman Trophy. The momentum didn’t last. The Buffaloes went 3-9 in 2025, bringing Sanders’ three-year mark to 16-21.
Among alumni, questions have centered on the constant roster churn through the transfer portal and in-game management decisions. Fauria hinted at deeper frustrations.
“Not a fan of his coaching style, not a fan of his messaging,” he said. “There’s a lot of things internally that I know about that I’m not a fan of.” He dismissed supporters as the “emperor-has-no-clothes crowd” who back Sanders “regardless of how stupid he is sometimes.”
When host Zach Gelb suggested that Sanders at least made Colorado nationally relevant again after years of irrelevance, Fauria didn’t dispute the spotlight. He acknowledged it’s “hard to win at Colorado” and said he initially supported the hire. “I was all for it,” he said. But as time passed, he questioned the direction. “None of this makes any sense,” he said. “How long are they gonna put up with this?”
For Fauria, relevance alone isn’t the benchmark. “Win games,” he said. “The way you win games. The way you recruit. Know everybody’s name. Give everybody the same attention. Sing the fight song. Learn the fight song.”
He closed without walking anything back. “I’m not a fan,” Fauria said. “My give-a-fuck level is zero right now with people caring about my opinion of Deion Sanders.”