Colorado Offers Running Back Recruit With Elite Physical Traits

The Colorado Buffaloes have extended an offer to one of the premier running back recruits in the 2028 class.

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos head coach Deion Sanders against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On Monday, the Colorado Buffaloes made an investment in their future, extending a scholarship offer to four-star running back recruit Carter Hanson from the class of 2028.

Hanson, a rising junior at Liberty High School in Bakersfield, California, is a physical specimen with no ceiling in sight for his development.

Carter Hanson’s high school career

Nov 23, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas head coach Lance Leipold during the Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches the run of play during the 2nd quarter between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Colorado Buffaloes at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images | Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

Hanson is a three-sport athlete who plays football, basketball and runs track for the Liberty High School Patriots.

On the gridiron, he burst onto the scene as a sophomore, playing both running back and cornerback. On the defensive side of the ball, he posted a modest seven total tackles, five of which were unassisted, a quarterback hurry and four interceptions with two pass breakups.

But running back is where Hanson truly excelled. He ran for 651 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games, averaging 8.6 yards per carry on 76 carries. He also got involved in the passing game, grabbing 14 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown, good for an average of 12.1 yards per catch.

NEW 100M PR 🚨⏩ 10.74 🔥@R_Bolin63 @GregBiggins @BrandonHuffman @adamgorney @king_stewartjr pic.twitter.com/Y1AGYjnRRi

— Carter Hanson 4⭐️ RB (@carterhanson_ll) April 26, 2026

What makes Hanson as special of an athlete as he is, though, are his top-notch athletic abilities. On the track, he’s displayed top-end speed for his age group, running a personal-best 10.74-second 100-meter dash on April 26, 2026.

According to MileSplit USA, that mark translates to a 4.48 40-yard dash. That means Hanson likely would’ve posted the sixth-fastest NFL Combine performance among running backs in 2026 as just a sophomore in high school.

In addition, he posted a video on his X account on March 23, 2026, in which he squatted 405 pounds for five reps.

By the end of his high school career, much less after a few years of college football, there’s no telling what Hanson will develop into. 

Colorado’s competition for Carter Hanson

Nov 29, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (3) after defeating the Southern Methodist Mustangs at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Buffaloes’ primary competition for Hanson, as it stands currently, are the California Golden Bears. 

The Bears have been a rising recruiting power in recent years, currently holding the No. 21 2027 recruiting class in the nation after posturing the No. 38 class in 2026. In addition, they landed former top 10 quarterback recruit and four-star transfer Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele from the Oregon Ducks in their 2025 portal class.

The Golden Bears’ campus lies just 249 miles from Hanson’s high school, as opposed to Colorado’s 820-mile distance.

On3 currently predicts that Cal is the most likely place for Hanson to end up with a 16.5-percent confidence of the Golden Bears landing him, which leads all other teams. However, Colorado trails closely behind at 12.4 percent confidence after its scholarship offer.

What Carter Hanson would mean to Colorado

Andre Adams announces his commitment to the University of Colorado during a ceremony at Antioch High School on Tuesday, April, 14, 2026 in Antioch. | NICOLE HESTER / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hanson would be the first commitment in Colorado’s 2028 recruiting class, and he would start it off with a bang.

247Sports lists him as the No. 19 recruit from the state of California, the No. 16 running back and the No. 233 overall recruit in the class of 2028, making comparable options at the position hard to find. 

As Colorado carves out a new-look future after overhauling the coaching staff this offseason, it looks to set the tone with big splashes on the recruiting trail to open up each class. It happened this season as Colorado landed four-star quarterback Andre Adams early in its 2027 recruiting class. 

Despite the difference in position, a commitment from Hanson would mean as much, if not more, than Adams’s did to the Buffaloes. It would also open the door for the two stars to lead a dominant offense in the next era of Buffs football.

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