Deion Sanders and Football World Mourn Death of Former HBCU QB

23-year-old University of Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder passed away during the early hours of March 1 after losing control of his 2023 Tesla Model 3. It was a stunning conclusion for a player that had many years of college football eligibility left, and his whole life ahead of him.

Powerful: Colorado HC Deion Sanders and his coaches comforted their players at a team meeting after Dominiq Ponder tragically passed away in a car crash.

“Today is the most important thing that we have. The best way to honor that is to do all you can with the time that you… https://t.co/ZQCOf75maW pic.twitter.com/jDgnASbagu

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 3, 2026

Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders has tried to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of the unforeseen tragedy.

“He worked his butt off,” Sanders said of Ponder. “This season he was gonna wear number 7. But the teammates love him so much. One of the kids came to my office today and said, ‘Coach, can I wear 22? You know, for my roommate?’ I said, ‘Yeah, but you know, he was going to wear 7.’ Like the next day, he would have been in 7 for his first time ever.

His teammates have had to grapple with losing a teammate, peer and friend.

“It’s sad not being able to protect him off the field,” said offensive lineman Yahya Attia. “I still don’t really realize it—I don’t want to be believe it yet.”

The finality of the events hit Sanders hard.

“You don’t send a kid to college to lose him. And that’s the toughest thing for me to digest,” Sanders admitted.

“Dom was one of my favorites! He was Loved, Respected & a Born Leader,” Colorado head coach Deion Sanders said. https://t.co/xJ9U75BeUX

— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) March 2, 2026

According to the police report, Ponder tried to make a right-hand turn but swerved his car into the eastbound lane, before the vehicle eventually slammed into a guardrail.

He was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

The school held a memorial service for him on March 7, which his family encouraged anyone who loved Ponder to attend.

“He was home over break, and he said, ‘Dad, Boulder is going to be my home.’ He loved it that much,” said his father, Wendell Ponder. “They embraced him, and he loved it, and he embraced him.”

Before he went to Colorado, Ponder red-shirted for Bethune-Cookman University. It was a sensible starting point for his collegiate athletic journey, since he spent his formative years growing up in Florida after being born in Pennsylvania.

He was recruited by Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed, who spent a brief period with Bethune-Cookman just as Ponder did.

People who knew Ponder growing up knew that he was much less intimidating that his 6’5” frame might otherwise indicate.

“Always smiling, laughing and joking, no matter what kind of a day he was having,” said Augie Kent, who met Ponder in the seventh grade.

“He was always able to make you laugh,” said childhood friend Joey Kennedy. “He was just a genuine person. He always wanted to do better. He always wanted to improve.”

Speed was said to be a factor in Ponder’s crash, but the incident has caused additional reflection about the safety of the road and its surrounding structures. Analysts are taking a closer look at whether guardrails are equipped to handle collisions with battery-powered electric vehicles.

“Any crash that involves the loss of life is particularly important for study to understand what went wrong and how we can better improve our systems to prevent similar types of tragic outcomes in the future,” said Cody Stollee, research associate professor and assistant director of the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska.