SAN ANTONIO >> A mariachi band was playing, the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk was decked out in Colorado logos and graphics, and a host of fans welcomed the Buffaloes upon their arrival on Monday night for the Valero Alamo Bowl.

“We’re excited. We’re elated to be here,” said CU head coach Deion Sanders, who will lead his 20th-ranked Buffs against No. 17 BYU on Saturday at the Alamodome (5:30 p.m., ABC).

Coach Prime couldn’t remember the last time he was in San Antonio, but CU athletic director Rick George is here for the third time for the Alamo Bowl, as the Buffs played here in 2016 and 2020.

“The hospitality that we get when we’re in San Antonio is second to none,” George said. “I mean, the Valero Alamo Bowl does a phenomenal job, and the hospitality that they give all of our players and fans, it’s just a great week. They have a lot of things planned, and they just do a great job of embracing their community and allowing us to be guests in it. We expect to have a lot of fans here, and it’s going to be great for the city and the state, and it’s going to be great for our fans as well.”

Safety and special teams standout Ben Finneseth is here for the first time but certainly looked the part in a cowboy hat upon his arrival.

“My brother lives in San Antonio, so I was super excited to come down here and see what his life is like every day,” he said. “I don’t know much about the area, but I’m excited to see everything. I’m always down for a good time.”

Running back Charlie Offerdahl is more reserved than Finneseth, but he was elated to see the welcoming party when the Buffs arrived.

“I’m really excited to explore the town,” he said. “As far as coming into the hotel, I mean, that was pretty awesome, having everybody here, this setup.”

The Buffs will have some fun during the week, but Coach Prime made it clear the Buffs are focused.

“The purpose is to win the game,” he said. “It’s like the main course. The appetizers are all the other stuff. So we’re happy to go through what we need to go through to get to what we need to get to, but the young men know what we here for. We’re not here for the festivities. We’re not here for all the things, the intangibles. We’re here to win this football game.”

Players covered

CU is unique in that star players, such as quarterback Shedeur Sanders and cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter, will play. In recent years, star players have often opted out of non-playoff bowls.

George and Coach Prime announced that their players are being covered by insurance.

“It was (Coach Prime’s) idea, so let’s be clear on that,” George said. “It was his idea that we should get disability insurance for our student-athletes for this game to ensure that they played and if there was some kind of injury, that they’d be well taken care of. And so we worked together on that. We’re excited about it. We think it’s great that all of our players are playing in the game, and that’s what all bowl games should be like.”

CU has several players that are NFL Draft prospects, led by Shedeur and Hunter, who are projected as top-five picks — if not top-two.

Coach Prime and George said Shedeur and Hunter are receiving the highest amount of coverage that’s ever been given to college athletes.

“We wanted to ensure that if something were to happen, that (all the players) would be covered,” Coach Prime said.

OL veteran added

So far this offseason, the Buffs have added three highly touted freshmen to its offensive line for 2025.

On Monday, the Buffs picked up their second veteran lineman in the transfer portal, as former Texas A&M tackle Aki Ogunbiyi committed to the Buffs.

Rated a four-star recruit coming out of Kempner (Texas) High School in 2020, the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Ogunbiyi has spent five seasons at A&M, playing mainly a reserve role for the Aggies.

Ogunbiyi played eight games, with four starts, in 2021, and made four starts in six games in 2022 before a season-ending injury.

According to Pro Football Focus, Ogunbiyi has played 654 offensive snaps in his career, but only 35 of those in the last two seasons.

Ogunbiyi joins former Louisiana-Monroe center Carter Miller as a transfer addition for CU.

Notable

CU’s live mascot, Ralphie, will be on hand for the Alamo Bowl and is planning to do a pregame run on Saturday night.