Three Intriguing Facts About the Colorado Buffaloes' Recruiting Class

The Colorado Buffaloes have had up-and-down recruiting classes under coach Deion Sanders and his staff. While Sanders has won some high-profile recruitments in the past at Colorado like five-star offensive lineman Jordan Seaton and four-star quarterback Julian Lewis, the Buffaloes have yet to recruit at a consistent level that allows the program to contend annually for conference titles.

No. 3 in the Big 12

In the class 2025, Rivals ranked Colorado's recruiting class at No. 35 in the nation and No. 2 in the Big 12. The Buffs brought in Lewis in 2025 alongside four-star offensive lineman Carde Smith, four-star EDGE London Merritt, and four-star receiver Quentin Gibson.

colorado buffaloes andre adams recruiting class deion sanders darrius darden box coach prime rankings brennan marion — Jul 7, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA; Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis speaks with reporters during Big 12 Conference Football Media Days at The Star. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Smith and Merritt have since transferred out of Colorado, and the Buffs' recruiting struggled in 2026. Rivals ranked Colorado's class of 2026 at No. 67 overall and No. 15 in the Big 12. Now, in the class of 2027, the Buffaloes sit at No. 37 overall and No. 3 in the Big 12 in Rivals' rankings.

Texas Tech is the standard of talent acquisition in the conference, but "Coach Prime" should be able to attract more talent than the rest of the Big 12. Teams like Texas Tech, BYU, and Utah are expected to compete for the conference title in 2026, but the Buffs can join that group if they continue to elevate the talent level on the roster.

11 States Represented in Colorado's Recruiting Class

The Colorado Buffaloes recruiting class features prospects from 11 different states across the country, and none of them are from Colorado, actually. Sanders and company currently hold five commitments from Florida prospects, and the Buffs have two commits out of Alabama, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas.

While "Coach Prime" himself has ties to southern states like Florida and Texas, Colorado director of player personnel Darrius Darden-Box is from Nashville, Tennessee, giving the Buffaloes even more ties to SEC country.

The West Coast hasn't been particularly kind to Colorado with Sanders and company only landing one recruit out of Utah, but the Buffs should have more success recruiting locally if the results on the field come.

7 Recruits at 6-2 or Taller

Coaches can't teach size, and the Buffs are bringing in plenty of it in this 2027 recruiting class.

Offensive line recruit Dewey Young is listed at 6-4 while Rivals has Buffs offensive line commits Li'Marcus Jones, and Coderro McDaniel at 6-5. The tallest offensive lineman of the bunch is Zaquan Linton at 6-5.5. Meanwhile, Colorado three-star linebacker commit Kaylon Bailey and three-star EDGE Ba'Roc Willis are both listed at 6-2.

Seven total recruits are at least 6-2, and 15 out of 20 current commits are at least six-feet tall. How each prospect develops inside of the Buffs' strength and conditioning program remains to be seen, but Colorado seems to be intent on adding proper size to the roster if they are building out with high school classes instead of the transfer portal.

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