One Unique Fact About Colorado's Transfer Portal Ranking

The Colorado Buffaloes are tied for the third-most incoming transfers in all of college football ahead of the 2026 season.

Dec 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Legendary football and baseball player and father of Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion Sanders on the sidelines prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

The Colorado Buffaloes find themselves among the teams with the most incoming transfers for the 2026 college football season. Colorado has 41 transfers that committed for 2026, which is tied for the third most in the country. 

Colorado Among Teams With Most Incoming Transfers

Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Colorado has a staggering 41 players coming in from the transfer portal. Here are the top 10 schools with the most transfers per On3. 

1. Oklahoma State Cowboys, 51
2. Iowa State Cyclones, 48
T3. Colorado Buffaloes, 41
T3. UCLA Bruins 41
T3. Arkansas Razorbacks, 41
6. LSU Tigers 40
7. Auburn Tigers, 39
8. Penn State Nittany Lions, 37
9. West Virginia Mountaineers, 34
10. Wisconsin Badgers, 33

Something that immediately stands out from this list is the amount of teams with new coaches. Seven of the top eight teams all have a new coach heading into 2026. It is common for this much roster turnover coaches that are trying to rebuild their new program in year one, but the one team that doesn’t have a new coach among those eight is Colorado. 

Colorado coach Deion Sanders has been with the Buffaloes since 2023. His overall record is 17-21. There’s been some highs and lows in the “Coach Prime” era in Boulder. In his first season at the helm, Colorado went 4-8. Then they jumped all the way to winning nine games in 2024. 2025 was a step in the wrong direction as the Buffs went just 3-9. 

With this large of an incoming transfer class, Colorado hopes to get back on the right path. 

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Colorado's Highest Rated Transfers in 2026

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. (0) against the Clemson Tigers during the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Buffs' highest rated incoming transfers per 247Sports are former Texas Longhorns wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr., former Texas Longhorns linebacker Liona Lefau, and former Tennessee Volunteers safety Boo Carter. All three of them are rated as four-star transfers. 

On the other side, Colorado did have a few big losses in the portal. Five-star transfer, offensive tackle Jordan Seaton entered the portal and committed to the LSU Tigers this offseason. Additionally, Colorado also lost four-star transfer cornerback DJ McKinney to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and four-star transfer wide receiver Omarion Miler to the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes offensive tackle Jordan Seaton (77) during the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Sanders will have his hands full getting this 2026 Buffaloes group to mesh together and to do it quickly. Colorado’s season does not get off to an easy start as their first game is on the road against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Saturday, Sep. 5. These two teams played last season in Boulder with the Yellow Jackets coming away victorious by a final score of 27-0. 

Colorado will then come back home for their home opener at Folsom Field against the Weber State Wildcats before getting back on the road for back-to-back games at the Northwestern Wildcats and at the Baylor Bears.