Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Dominiq Ponder, a 23-year-old junior walk-on, died Saturday in Boulder, local reports say. Ponder had spent the past two seasons with the program after transferring to Colorado in 2024 from Bethune-Cookman.
Coach Deion Sanders and members of the program posted messages of grief on social media, and the news quickly rippled through the locker room, according to The Denver Post. The outlet reports teammates and staff expressed shock and disbelief, with one teammate writing that the news "didn't feel real."
Background and playing career
Ponder was listed at 6-foot-5 and was from Opa-locka, Florida. He graduated from Carol City High School and attended Myrtle Beach Collegiate Academy before college, according to the Colorado Buffaloes roster. CU notes he joined the program as a walk-on in 2024 after time at Bethune-Cookman, and he remained part of the depth chart through the 2025 season.
He appeared in two games during the 2025 season, including a brief CU debut in which he took the final snaps and went 0-for-1 on his passes in the Nov. 1, 2025 loss to Arizona. Game logs also show he played snaps on the kickoff team at West Virginia the following week, per CFBStats. Those limited in-game appearances came in the middle of a season marked by heavy roster turnover for the Buffaloes.
Spring practice and next steps
The Buffaloes were scheduled to begin spring practice on Monday, March 2, with the program's Black & Gold Day set for April 11, according to a Colorado Buffaloes release. It was not immediately clear whether Colorado would alter any planned activities in the wake of Ponder's death.
Community reaction
Friends, former teammates and fans flooded social media with condolences. Brennan Marion reposted Sanders’ message and Johnnie Mack asked for prayers for the Ponder family and the Colorado community, The Denver Post reports. The university had not released additional details about the cause of death as of publication.
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