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Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders delivered an emotional eulogy at the funeral of his sophomore quarterback Dominiq Ponder, who died in a tragic car accident last week. Ponder was 23 years old.
Sanders got on the mic after Ponder’s family, saying it “didn’t feel right” for him to do so, but he couldn’t help but feel “inspired” by their words.
Then Sanders, a spiritual man in his own right, began speaking.
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Bethune-Cookman QB Dominiq Ponder takes a snap during the Wildcats’ spring game Saturday, April 22, 2023, at Daytona Stadium. (IMAGINE)
“We always ask questions about why this happened… ‘God, why this and why that?’” Sanders said.
“When we succeed, excel, and overcome adversity, we never ask God, “Why?” SO. It is only in our passing and in the sadness of life that we challenge and ask God, “Why?” I think I have the solution.”
Sanders then began talking about his former interlocutor.
“As I look out there, and I look at a young man so full of life – so full of respect and hustle and hard work and integrity. I ask God: “For real? And he whispered: “Dom has been chosen.
“Dom was chosen to unite you, to bring you together. Dom was chosen.”
“Coach Prime” directed part of his eulogy to Ponder’s parents, leading him to naturally choke up at the podium.
“The only thing I regret is when you sent us a boy. I wanted to send you a man back,” Sanders said, taking a pause to try to control his emotions.
Ponder had been a quarterback with the Buffaloes in Sanders’ first season, as he tried to get his team set up. He already had his son, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, set to start for Colorado after their success at Jackson State. But Ponder and others in the quarterback room looked to work and develop under the tutelage of the elder Sanders.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his players warm up before an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)
Ponder appeared in two games for the Buffaloes last season.
But even though Sanders misses Ponder, his parents praised him, releasing a statement thanking “Coach Prime” for his “unwavering generosity, support and love to our family.” They also thanked everyone for their “sincere gratitude” in a separate statement.
Sanders called an emergency meeting with his Buffaloes team after learning of Ponder’s death, and a raw scene shared on social media showed him comforting emotional players. Sanders himself was emotional while giving a speech to his team.
“His character, his humor, his work ethic and his tenacity. That’s something I want us to remember,” he said in the clip.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutiérrez)
Sanders also confirmed Ponder’s death last Sunday in a social media post.
“God please comfort the Ponder family, friends and loved ones,” Sanders wrote on social media. “Dom was one of my favorites! He was loved, respected and a born leader. Let’s pray for all who knew him and had the opportunity to be in his presence. Lord, you get a good 1. Comfort us Lord, comfort us.”
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