Colorado Buffaloes Land Potential Starting Offensive Lineman Via Transfer Portal

Coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes gained a transfer portal commitment on Saturday in former Memphis offensive lineman Xavier Hill. After beginning his career at LSU, Hill was a two-time All-American Athletic Conference selection at Memphis.

Dec 29, 2023; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Tigers offensive linemen Xavier Hill (71) blocks during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Former Memphis offensive lineman Xavier Hill's weekend visit with the Colorado Buffaloes can be considered a success.

One day after sharing a photo of his trip to Boulder on social media, the graduate transfer revealed his commitment to the Buffs via X on Saturday. Hill is a 6-foot-4, 318-pound native of Olive Branch, Mississippi, who spent the past two seasons at Memphis.

After entering the transfer portal on Tuesday, Hill wasted little time committing to Colorado, which now holds 18 incoming transfers. More should come soon as the 10-day spring transfer portal window for undergraduate players opens on Wednesday.

Memphis' Xavier Hill (71) celebrates after the team scored a touchdown during the game between Southern Methodist University and University of Memphis at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., on Saturday, November 18, 2023. / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK

According to 247Sports, Hill is a three-star transfer and a former three-star prospect in the class of 2020. Hill signed with the LSU Tigers out of high school and appeared in six games, including two starts, over three seasons in Baton Rouge.

Everything came together for Hill when he left the SEC for the American Athletic Conference's Memphis Tigers. During his first season at Memphis in 2023, Hill started in every game for a 10-3 Tigers team that beat Iowa State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. He was also named second-team All-AAC.

Hill played in a team-high 916 offensive snaps this past season and graded out as Memphis' best overall player in the eyes of Pro Football Focus. He graded out at 86.4 in pass blocking and 81.6 in run blocking while taking only three penalties on the season. Deservedly, Hill received first-team All-AAC honors.

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With one year of college eligibility remaining, Hill should be in the mix for a starting spot on Colorado's offensive line — it's just unclear where. Hill closed last season at right tackle but also started games at guard during his time with the Tigers.

Left tackle Jordan Seaton, right tackle Phillip Houston, center Cash Cleveland and guard/tackle Tyler Brown all return to Colorado after seeing significant playing time last season, but Seaton is the surest bet to start Week 1. Other transfer offensive linemen who've joined the Buffs this offseason include Zarian McGill (Louisiana Tech), Zy Crisler (Illinois), Mana Taimani (Ole Miss) and Aki Ogunbiyi (Texas A&M). Chauncey Gooden, Carde Smith and Jay Gardenhire are also in the mix as incoming freshmen.

‼️🦬🦬‼️ @DeionSanders @CUBuffsFootball pic.twitter.com/tx1V7iGOT5

— 🛴 (@xavierhill0) April 12, 2025

"I don't think there are any cliques in the room," new Colorado offensive line coach Gunnar White said earlier this spring. "I think everybody is coming together. We have an open space for that to be the common goal, too. Five equals one with the O-line. You can't just have one guy doing his own thing, you have to have all five of your guys doing the same thing at the same time, and they are really buying into that."

Former Campbell wide receiver Sincere Brown is also visiting Boulder this weekend as another top transfer portal target for Colorado coach Deion Sanders.

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