Colorado backup quarterback Dominiq Ponder, 23, died in a single-car accident early Sunday, March 1, in Boulder County. The Colorado State Patrol reported that Ponder lost control of his 2023 Tesla on Baseline Road around 3 a.m., causing the vehicle to go off the road, strike a guardrail and an electrical pole, and roll. Ponder, who had transferred to Colorado in 2024 as a non-scholarship player after redshirting at Bethune-Cookman in 2023, was pronounced dead at the scene. Coach Deion Sanders and other teammates expressed their grief and remembered Ponder as a beloved and respected leader. The university is providing counseling resources to its student-athletes and staff.