Two Colorado Newcomers Crack Notable Offseason Rankings

With what seems to be a successful offseason, coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes have an opportunity to have a much better showing in the Big 12 in 2026. Throughout the offseason, it became clear that Coach Prime made a change to the way he was building his roster, with a new emphasis on experienced transfers.

With that new approach in mind, it seems that coach Sanders could be setting up Colorado for some improvement next season, as two new Buffaloes were included on ESPN’s top 100 newcomers list heading into the 2026 season. The two Colorado players that made the cut were wide receiver Danny Scudero at No. 35 and linebacker Gideon Lampron at No. 92.

Two Colorado Buffaloes Newcomers Make Notable Offseason List Danny Scudero Gideon Lampron Big 12 Coach Deion Sanders — Nov 1, 2025; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose State Spartans wide receiver Danny Scudero (10) catches a pass for the first down against the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine during the second quarter at CEFCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Wide Receiver Danny Scudero

Without question, one of the best additions Colorado made through the transfer portal was wide receiver Danny Scudero from San Jose State. On the newcomers list, Scudero slotted in as the No. 8 receiver and seems to be in a position to build on what was a very impressive 2025 campaign.

Last season, Scudero was one of the most productive receivers in the country as he recorded 88 receptions for 1,247 yards and 10 touchdowns. Scudero’s 1,247 receiving yards led the country, which was quite impressive as most of his production comes from the slot. Standing at 5-9, Scudero functions mostly as a slot receiver and has been able to refine his technical skills, which have helped him to become a dangerous receiver.

From the slot, Scudero has been able to use his precise route running and reliable hands to his advantage, which has created major problems for opposing defenses to match up with. In Colorado’s new offense under offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, Scudero could find a major role with his ability to use his speed, route running, and consistent hands in space against opposing defenses.

At quarterback, the Buffaloes are expected to start redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Lewis, who is still adapting to the college game, but with a weapon like Scudero on the perimeter, Lewis could find great success. As a quarterback, Lewis functions best as a point guard type, where he gets the ball out quickly to his playmakers.

Based on Lewis’ skill set in addition to Marion’s offensive scheme, it seems that Scudero could be a seamless fit into the Colorado offense and become one of the most dangerous receivers in the Big 12 and potentially in the entire country.

Linebacker Gideon Lampron

During the 2025 season, Colorado struggled significantly against the run as the Buffaloes allowed 222.5 rushing yards per game, ranking 135th in the country, which constantly put the Buffaloes in tough positions all season long against opponents' rushing attacks.

Based on the struggles that Colorado had against the run, coach Sanders made one of the best additions for the Buffaloes this offseason, as Colorado was able to bring in Bowling Green transfer linebacker Gideon Lampron. Last season, Lampron was very disruptive and could be one of the keys to Colorado becoming a much better defense overall.

In Lampron’s 2025 campaign, he recorded 119 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one pass breakup. Regardless of how opposing teams tried to limit Lampron’s impact, he was able to not only affect the game but, at times, take over and completely shut down opposing offenses.

With the production that Lampron has shown, he was ranked as the No. 4 linebacker on the top 100 newcomers list and could continue to develop as one of the best linebackers in the country. As a defense, Colorado is heading in a new direction after elevating Chris Marve from being the linebackers coach to now becoming the Buffaloes' defensive coordinator.

Marve does have previous experience as a defensive coordinator, as he coached in that role for Virginia Tech from 2022 to 2024. In Marve’s time with Virginia Tech, he had solid success with his emphasis on physicality, violence, aggression, speed, and versatility across the board.

With Marve now implementing his defense at Colorado, Lampron could be a great fit with his ability to make plays all over the field in both the run game and the pass game, which could help the Buffaloes to take a significant step forward as a defensive unit.

The Takeaway For Colorado

With the new approach that Coach Prime and the Buffaloes have in recruiting through the transfer portal, it seems that Colorado could be in a position to have a much better chance at sustained success in what is a very competitive Big 12 conference.

In addition to the Buffaloes adding talent through the transfer portal, Colorado has also started to make more of an emphasis on recruiting at the high school level. Over the past few weeks, specifically, Colorado has been able to add several solid recruits, with one of the biggest ones being quarterback Andre Adams from the 2027 class.

With the success that the Buffaloes have started to have in the recruiting world, it seems that Coach Prime may be able to build a program that can have much more continuity on an annual basis and put Colorado in a position where they do not need to rely on the transfer portal. If the Buffaloes can put a few solid recruiting classes together, Colorado could use the transfer portal more to add depth rather than completely overhauling the roster after every season.

As the Buffaloes head into next season, the change in approach to the transfer portal and in recruiting could be exactly what Colorado needed to not only compete near the top of the Big 12 and potentially develop into a team that could qualify for the College Football Playoff.

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