Colorado Buffaloes Recruiting: Elite In-State Offensive Lineman Names Top Schools, Commitment Date

The Colorado Buffaloes are among the top four teams — and might be considered the favorite — for three-star offensive lineman Tripp Skewes.

On Saturday, the class of 2026 prospect from down the road in Englewood (Kent Denver) tabbed the Buffs, North Carolina Tar Heels, Texas Tech Red Raiders and Vanderbilt Commodores as his top four programs and announced a commitment date of July 1. Skewes visited all four schools in June, including a short trip to Boulder this past week.

Listed at 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds, Skewes is the No. 12 overall prospect in the state of Colorado and the No. 4 offensive lineman, according to 247Sports' rankings.

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

"My official visits were amazing," Skewes told 247Sports regarding his recent visits to Colorado and Vanderbilt. "What stood out to me the most was that both programs are building something special."

Colorado, Vanderbilt, North Carolina and Texas Tech are all programs seemingly on the rise. In Boulder, coach Deion Sanders is coming off a nine-win season and has committed to improving his offensive and defensive lines over the past two offseasons. Meanwhile, North Carolina is entering the coach Bill Belichick era while Vanderbilt and Texas Tech each reached a bowl game last season.

As of this writing, Colorado owns only two three-star class of 2026 commitments: Illinois tight end Gavin Mueller and California EDGE Domata Peko Jr., the son of new CU defensive line coach and former NFL standout Domata Peko. The class ranks last in the Big 12 Conference and No. 97 nationally, per 247Sports.

"Coach Prime" recently replaced offensive line coach Phil Loadholt, who left for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, with a three-man coaching tandem of Gunnar White, Andre Gurode and George Hegamin. Those three oversee a room highlighted by returning starting left tackle Jordan Seaton and a bevy of incoming transfers, including Zarian McGill (Louisiana Tech), Zy Crisler (Illinois) and Andre Roye Jr. (Maryland).

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Grateful every day to be in this position. I will be announcing my commitment on July 1!@cjrecruiting2 @CoachBetti @AthleticsKDS @Coach_Newcomer @Rivals @BrandonHuffman @247Sports pic.twitter.com/Wcuca5eILB
— Tripp Skewes 3⭐️ (@3tripp3_) June 21, 2025

"These guys are hungry," Gurode said of his room in March. "They are looking for the right picture for what it looks like for them to achieve what they really can achieve. They need to be pushed. They need to be loved on. They need to be groomed and matured. They need to be transitioned and developed into what they are going to be. And to really look at that picture to really figure out how to get there. What I know they are doing, they are approaching it step-by-step. Every person that is around them gives them some type of information or knowledge to go along their way."

North Carolina's 2026 recruiting class ranks No. 19 nationally (21 commits), Texas Tech sits No. 32 (15 commits) and the Commodores are close behind at No. 35 (12 commits). The Red Raiders are entering their fourth season under coach Joey McGuire and Vanderbilt is nearing its fifth under Clark Lea.