Colorado spends an estimated $18 million to $21 million on its 2026 football roster, according to The Athletic, 53rd nationally and ninth in the Big 12. That is a sharp turn from 2024, when Colorado had the two most valuable players in college football in Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Deion Sanders has shifted to a roster of proven transfers rather than expensive stars, and the Buffaloes lost their highest valued player, offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, to LSU in January.
| Era | Top Colorado valuations |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Shedeur Sanders $6.5 million (No. 1 in college football), Travis Hunter $5.7 million (No. 2) |
| 2025 | Jordan Seaton, offensive tackle, the team’s top valuation |
| 2026 | Seaton gone to LSU at $4 million; a deeper, cheaper transfer roster |
How Colorado Compares
| Big 12 team | Estimated 2026 budget |
|---|---|
| Texas Tech | $38 million to $42 million |
| BYU | $25 million to $30 million |
| Arizona State | $19 million to $23 million |
| Colorado | $18 million to $21 million |
| Arizona | $13 million to $18 million |
Why the Strategy Changed
Colorado said last November that it expected to hit the $20.5 million revenue sharing cap across all sports for fiscal 2026 while projecting a $27 million athletic department deficit. Sanders has argued for limits on player pay, saying it is hard to compete with programs spending $25 million to $30 million on a freshman class. His own contract, five years and $54 million, pays him $10 million this season, half of the football roster budget; details are on the Deion Sanders salary page.
Budget figures are from The Athletic as reported by Sports Illustrated and Yahoo Sports. Schools do not publish football payrolls, so these are estimates.
The Bottom Line
Colorado spends an estimated $18 million to $21 million on its 2026 roster, 53rd nationally, after moving away from the star driven rosters of the Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter era. The full lists are on most expensive rosters and NIL rankings by conference. Follow the Buffaloes on the Colorado football schedule.