Colorado Buffaloes' National Recruiting Class Ranking Ahead of Regular Signing Period

Wednesday's start of the regular signing period will allow a few more recent Colorado Buffaloes commitments to make things final with coach Deion Sanders' program.

As of Monday, five class of 2026 commitments are expected to sign with the Buffs later this week, but others could also join the fold. Colorado's incoming freshmen will complement a 42-member transfer portal class, which has already made a strong first impression during winter workouts.

Colorado Buffaloes National Recruiting Class Ranking Regular Signing Period Commitments Rodney Colton Preston Ashley Big 12 — Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks along the sidelines late in the fourth quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

According to 247Sports, Colorado 2026 recruiting class (high school commits/signees only) ranks No. 61 nationally as of Monday evening. The USC Trojans own college football's top recruiting class, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide and Oregon Ducks.

Big 12 Conference 2026 Recruiting Class Rankings

Texas Tech, the defending Big 12 champions, owns the conference's highest-ranked 2026 recruiting class, per 247Sports.

Texas Tech Red Raiders (21 commits)
BYU Cougars (21)
West Virginia Mountaineers (48)
Utah Utes (19)
Houston Cougars (18)
Arizona Wildcats (21)
Arizona State Sun Devils (21)
TCU Horned Frogs (22)
Kansas State Wildcats (21)
Cincinnati Bearcats (25)
Iowa State Cyclones (25)
Kansas Jayhawks (18)
Colorado Buffaloes (17)
UCF Knights (16)
Baylor Bears (14)
Oklahoma State Cowboys (18)

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Colorado Buffaloes' 2026 Signees, Commitments

As of Monday, Colorado's 2026 recruiting class features 12 signees and another five commitments,

Safety Preston Ashley (Brandon, Mississippi)
Linebacker Rodney Colton Jr. (Newnan, Georgia)
Tight end Gavin Mueller (South Elgin, Illinois)
Linebacker Colby Johnson (Sammamish, Washington)
EDGE Domata Peko Jr. (Ventura, California)
Cornerback Maurice Williams (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Offensive tackle Xavier Payne (Miami, Florida)
Linebacker Carson Crawford (Carthage, Texas)
Safety D'Montae Tims (Seffner, Florida)
Offensive lineman Ben Gula (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Offensive tackle Josiah Manu (Loveland, Colorado)
Wide receiver Christian Ward (Bradenton, Florida, via Carrollton, Georgia)
Athlete Alexander Ward (Bradenton, Florida, via Carrollton, Georgia)
Safety Braylon Edwards (Duncanville, Texas)
Wide receiver Xavier McDonald (Morton, Mississippi) — Commit
Defensive lineman Joseph Peko (Westlake Village, California) — Commit
Quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne (Lehi, Utah) — Commit
Running back Cam Newton (Prosper, Texas) — Commit
Wide Receiver Jacob Swain (Melissa, Texas) — Commit

Colorado is looking to rebound from a 3-9 season in Sanders' third year at the helm. At least for now, "Coach Prime" is sticking with his strategy of signing far more transfers than high school players.

"You have to figure out the strategy of how you want to get it," Sanders said in November. "The strategy a year ago was the same as it was the year before, and you hit on your portal guys and you hit on your freshman years. This year, you hit on your freshmen, to me, some of them, and you missed on your portal. And that is why we are sitting where we are sitting. It is not like you didn't have a strategic plan. You missed. And sometimes that happens. I missed."