Deion Sanders issued several warnings about his roster strategy after his hiring at Colorado in early December.

The Buffaloes' new football coach has told his inherited players that “we're going to try to make you quit,” that “we’re gonna move on” from some players and that he wanted them to “get ready to go ahead and jump” in the transfer portal to leave.

On Saturday after his first spring game in Boulder, the threat grew more imminent:

“We’ve got to make some decisions,” he said. “That’s gonna be on me now.”

Then came Sunday and Monday, when at least 18 Colorado players said they were headed for the exits, as of Monday afternoon.

It’s not clear how many were nudged out the door by Sanders and his staff or how many decided to leave on their own, because there were some individual surprises. Receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig, who had a big spring game on Saturday, was among those saying they were entering the transfer portal, which remains open until April 30.