Deion Sanders captured headlines in December when, during his first meeting with his new team, he told players in no uncertain terms that he planned to drastically overhaul the roster and they should look at the transfer portal.

“We got a few positions already taken care of because I’m bringing my own luggage with me,” Sanders told the Buffs in a video that was shared on social media. “And it’s Louis (Vuitton), OK?”

Sanders caught some flak for his upfront approach but also had a number of defenders who pointed out this was a CU team that went 1-11 in 2022.

In a short amount of time, Sanders has quickly remade the profile of the program, securing transfer commitments from all throughout the Power Five. Sanders brought former Jackson State stars Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders with him to Boulder, and he’s reportedly closing in on another major high school recruiting win as the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2023 class weighs Colorado against Miami.

Sanders wants to win at CU, and during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, he said he also wants to be as honest as possible with his locker room.

“I have to be honest with these kids,” Sanders told Eisen. “I can’t give these kids false hope and a false dream. I don’t work like that. The way I succeeded and reached where I am right now is straight honesty. Whether you like it or not — I can put it in a gift and wrap it with a beautiful bow — but it is still going to be honesty when you open it and turn the page. Seventy-one kids, we dismissed at Jackson State. That is the only reason we were able to accomplish things we were able to accomplish. Everybody talks about how they wanted to change the culture. Well, yeah, but I have to change the people. You never said anything about that. When you change the culture, there is only one way to do that: To change the people.

“Change is inevitable when there is no success,” Sanders added. “You have to alter things and make a consistent change. That is what we are doing and that is what we have done.”

Between transfer pledges and high school signings, Colorado will be bringing in more than 40 newcomers in Sanders’ first offseason with the program.