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Colorado Lands Commitment From Safety Recruit With Buffaloes Ties

The Colorado Buffaloes added to their recruiting lineup by reeling in this versatile JUCO defender.
Lorenzo Reyna|
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the Delaware Fighting Blue Hens at Folsom Field.
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the Delaware Fighting Blue Hens at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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Colorado Buffaloes

The Colorado Buffaloes and coach Deion Sanders just created a rare Central Coast of California following.

First the Buffaloes landed prized junior college defensive tackle Malachi Brown in May 2026 via Monterey Peninsula College, and the 6-5, 300-pound interior defender now will be joined by a prized defensive teammate of his.

Colorado Lands Drew Molinari

Colorado Buffaloes Deion Sanders North Dakota State College Football Recruiting Big 12 Will Rasmussen Orem High School Utah
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the North Dakota State Bison at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

This time Sanders and Colorado are adding versatile defensive back help.

Safety/nickelback Drew Molinari of Monterey Peninsula College shut his recruitment down and chose the Buffaloes. The Salinas, California native announced his decision in the early afternoon of July 18 via social media: "Buff nation! Let's do it," Molinari wrote.

The Big 12 Conference university first landed on Colorado's recruiting radar in June. Molinari cited Coach Prime himself as the man who formally offered him the scholarship.

Molinari was a December of 2025 JUCO grad who was still searching for his next collegiate stop. He reeled in six total NCAA Division I offers but mostly heard from Football Bowl Championship (FCS) schools. Western Illinois represented one of his more recent offers before the Buffaloes came through with their opportunity.

He previously starred for Palma High School in Salinas, which is a known breeder of collegiate level football talent. Palma produced four-star wide receiver Logan Saldate, who signed with Notre Dame in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Closer Look at Colorado's JUCO Representation

Colorado Buffaloes Deion Sanders College Football Recruiting Logan Saldate Drew Molinari Malachi Brown
Jul 7, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA; Colorado head coach Deion Sanders speaks to reporters during Big 12 Conference Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brown and Molinari played for a state JUCO powerhouse near the Bay Area of California. But they're not the only junior college representation here.

Sanders and his coaching staff started looking more closely at JUCO talents in the last few recruiting cycles. Colorado eventually landed one of the top edge rushers in the 2026 class.

Domata Peko Jr. arrived via Ventura College, where he became the state's No. 1 edge rush prospect. Peko Jr. is the son of former Colorado defensive line coach and 15-year NFL veteran Domata Peko.

Colorado even boasts New Mexico Military Institute talents on the defensive side. Linebacker Tyler Martinez and transfer edge rusher Vili Taufatofua are past NMMI players, though the latter previously played for San Jose State.

Long snapper Trey Young played his JUCO ball at Saddleback College in California's Orange County. Offensive lineman Larry Johnson III comes with his own JC past, but he played at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. Fellow offensive lineman Jayven Richardson is another Hutchinson grad.

How Drew Molinari fits at Colorado

Colorado Buffaloes Colorado State Rams Deion Sanders DJ McKinney College Football Recruiting Drew Molinari Big 12
Sep 14, 2024; Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes cornerback DJ McKinney (8) during pregame warmups at Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Sanders brings in an increasingly growing cerebral defender on the backend.

Molinari identified where an intermediate throw was heading and beat the wide receiver to the football. But Colorado adds one more needed element via Molinari: a deep coverage safety.

Molinari's strength is disrupting the long ball, which will come in handy against Air Raid teams like Texas Tech or Houston during conference play.

Molinari brings one more big trait over to Boulder: the recruits who became underlooked on the trail. Molinari, again, didn't land many big offers. He'll fit right in with a bunch of transfers and recruits who didn't receive much love on the trail either like edge rusher Toby Anene (North Dakota State transfer) and running back Jaquail Smith (Sacramento State transfer).

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Lorenzo Reyna
LORENZO REYNA

Lorenzo J Reyna is a sports writer for USC Trojans On SI and Colorado Buffaloes On SI. He brings nearly two decades of sports writing experience, including coverage of Cal, Stanford, San Jose State and Fresno State for 247Sports. He also wrote about an incoming high school freshman named Jayden Daniels before he won the Heisman Trophy and led the Washington Commanders. Also known as "Zo" to his colleagues, his other writing credits include ClutchPoints, Athlon Sports, Roundtable, the Santa Maria Times and freelanced once for the Los Angeles Times. He enjoys living near a beach, having multiple cups of coffee, and listening to old school R&B/Hip-Hop in his down time.

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