University of Colorado football player Dominiq Ponder died Saturday night, at the age of 23.
CU head coach Deion Sanders posted the following on social media Sunday afternoon:
“God please comfort the Ponder family, friends & Loved ones. Dom was one of my favorites! He was Loved, Respected & a Born Leader. Let’s pray for all that knew him & had the opportunity to be in his presence. Lord you’re receiving a good 1. Comfort us Lord Comfort us.”
Ponder was a junior walk-on quarterback who spent the past two seasons with the Buffaloes and had been going through offseason workouts with the team. CU is scheduled to open spring practices Monday.
Brennan Marion, CU’s first-year offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach posted a replay to Sanders’ post, writing, “A joy to be around & coach! gonna be tough but man this one hurts Lord, getting that call today from his dad today didn’t feel real. Love you Dom! God cover his family & our team, especially our qb room!”
Running backs coach Johnnie Mack wrote, “Lord we never question why, I just ask you to cover the Ponder family, Colorado family and friends as we deal with the loss of this amazing kid. In Jesus name. You will be missed Dom.”
Former CU kicker Alexander Stoyanovich, who spent the past two seasons playing with Ponder, added, “Can’t even process this right now. My heart hurts. Dom always found a way to bring laughter and smiles to everyone around him, and was always a joy to be around. Rest in peace brotha”
Ponder is from Opa Locka, Florida, and graduated in 2022 from Carol City (Florida) High School. He then went to Myrtle Beach Collegiate Academy in South Carolina before playing the 2023 season at Bethune-Cookman, appearing in two games.
In 2024, he transferred to CU and joined the team as a walk-on. In two seasons with the Buffaloes, Ponder appeared in two games, both during the 2025 season.
Ponder made his CU debut in a loss to Arizona on Nov. 1, playing the final three snaps and going 0-for-1 on his passes. The next week at West Virginia, he played three snaps on kickoff team.
This story will be updated.
