Colorado Buffaloes' Deion Sanders To Land 4-Star Recruit Over Bill Belichick, North Carolina?

Four-star athlete recruit CJ Sadler is down to four schools, including the Colorado Buffaloes. In addition to Colorado and coach Deion Sanders, the North Carolina Tar Heels and coach Bill Belichick are making a strong push. Will the four-star 2026 recruit commit to Colorado over North Carolina?

Dec 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels new head coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Four-star athlete CJ Sadler is one of the top prospects from the recruiting class of 2026. The Colorado Buffaloes are one of the teams targeting Sadler, as coach Deion Sanders and the team look to boost their recruiting class.

Sadler can play both wide receiver and in the secondary, looking to do so in college. Per the Rivals Industry Rankings, Sadler is the No. 123 recruit in the nation, the No. 6 athlete, and the No. 1 player from Michigan. He is set to announce his commitment decision on Aug. 15.

Dec 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels new head coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Sadler’s Interest In Colorado

The four-star recruit is predicted by Rivals to pick the North Carolina Tar Heels and coach Bill Belichick, but the Buffaloes are making a strong push and could land the talented athlete. Sadler has visited the Buffaloes multiple times and stands out as an option for him.

“Coach Prime, the way he’s running the university,” Sadler told On3. "The coaching staff is building a standard here.”

Sanders took over the Colorado program ahead of the 2023 season and helped the team go from one win to nine in two years. Sanders brought in an elite coaching staff, featuring former NFL players such as Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, which has helped the team with recruiting. 

Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

With the players Sanders is bringing in and his focus on development, the Colorado program is trending up. 

In addition to Colorado and North Carolina, Sadler is also interested in the Michigan Wolverines and the Maryland Terrapins.

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Travis Hunter’s Impact On Sadler’s Recruitment

As a four-star athlete, Sadler is looking to play both offense and defense in the league. This has helped keep the Colorado Buffaloes in the running, as the alma mater of Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter.

Dec 14, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter poses for a photo after winning the Heisman Trophy award during the 2024 Heisman Trophy Presentation. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images | Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

“Obviously, to be able to play both sides of the ball and be myself. The people make it really special, the head coach and things like that,” Sadler continued.

Hunter has credited Sanders for giving him the opportunity to play both offense and defense, which led to him being the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. If Sadler wants to continue to play both sides of the ball, the Colorado Buffaloes would be a good landing spot for the four-star athlete.

Colorado Class of 2026

The Buffaloes' recruiting class is up to nine commits, but they rank No. 69 in the nation and last in the Big 12, per On3.

Colorado has received commitments from three four-star and six three-star recruits. Four-star cornerback commit Preston Ashley is one of the team's biggest and most talented recruits coming in. He announced his decision to attend Colorado in June and helped kick off a couple of big commitments in the summer.

Feb 6, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Deion Sanders on the red carpet before Super Bowl LIX NFL Honors at Saenger Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The team has also received a commitment from four-star tight end Gavin Mueller and four-star linebacker Rodney Colton. Although Colorado has only had nine verbal commits, the Buffaloes give true freshmen a chance to compete and play right away.

Sanders does not have the most conventional recruiting tactic, as he does not look to have the most commitments in the nation. Sanders and the Buffaloes look to bring in high-quality players to avoid redshirting them and risking the players entering the portal after one season. 

With Sadler’s commitment coming at the end of the month, the Buffaloes could be on the verge of having another dominant two-way player on the roster.