Colorado Signs First Recruits as Deion Sanders Looks To Surprise

Coach Deion Sanders' fourth Early Signing Period at the Colorado Buffaloes' helm has arrived.

Coming off a 3-9 third season in Boulder, "Coach Prime" owns 11 class of 2026 commitments as of Tuesday, including a pair of four-star prospects in linebacker Carson Crawford and safety Preston Ashley. Those two and the nine others can make things official from Wednesday through Friday.

This article will be updated with Colorado's latest class of 2026 signees during the three-day Early Signing Period:

Full List of 2026 Early Signees

Braylon Edwards, Cornerback — Lancaster, Texas

3-Star (247Sports), No. 162 safety
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 187
Notable Offers: Arkansas, Arizona State, Utah, Wisconsin

Alex Ward, Athlete — Marietta, Georgia

3-Star (247Sports), No. 54 Athlete
Height/Weight: 6-1, 174
Notable Offers: Texas A&M, Michigan, Tennessee, Florida State

Domata Peko Jr., Defensive Lineman — Calabasas, California

3-Star (247Sports), No. 2 JUCO Edge
Height/Weight: 6-4, 220
Notable Offers: Arkansas

Ben Gula, Offensive Lineman — Fort Lauderdale, Florida

3-Star (247Sports), No. 96 interior offensive lineman
Height/Weight: 6-5, 285
Notable Offers: Texas A&M, Maryland, UCF, Indiana

Christian Ward, Wide Receiver — Carrollton, Georgia

3-Star (247Sports), No. 106 wide receiver
Height/Weight: 6-3, 195
Notable Offers: Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan

Colby Johnson, Linebacker — Sammamish, Washington

3-star (247Sports), No. 153 linebacker
Height/Weight: 6-2, 195
Notable Offers: Arizona, San Diego State, Washington State

Rodney Colton Jr., Linebacker — Newnan, Georgia

3-star (247Sports), No. 64 linebacker
Height/Weight: 6-1, 220
Notable Offers: Ole Miss, Florida State, Penn State, SMU

Maurice 'MoJo' Williams Jr., Cornerback — Edna Karr, Louisiana

3-star (247Sports), No. 136 cornerback
Height/Weight: 5-11, 172
Notable Offers: Liberty, Georgia Tech, Houston

Josiah Manu, Offensive Line — Thompson Valley, Colorado

3-star (247Sports), No. 119 offensive tackle
Height/Weight: 6-5, 295
Notable Offers: San Jose State, Arizona, Wyoming

Carson Crawford, Linebacker — Carthage, Texas

4-star (247Sports), No. 11 linebacker
Height/Weight: 6-3, 215
Notable Offers: Texas State, Houston UNLV

Xavier Payne, Offensive Line — Jones, Florida

3-star (247Sports), No. 104 offensive tackle
Height/Weight: 6-7, 310
Notable Offers: Florida State, Syracuse

Preston Ashley, Safety — Brandon, Mississippi

4-star (247Sports), No. 29 safety
Height/Weight: 5-10,170
Notable Offers: Florida State, Texas A&M, Louisville

Position Breakdown

Colorado Early Signing Period Tracker Every Player Buffs 2026 Commits Deion Sanders Carson Crawford Preston Ashley Recruiting — Brandon wide receiver Preston Ashley (1) looks at his phone before a high school football game between Petal and Brandon at Bulldog Stadium in Brandon, Miss., on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Petal defeated Brandon 27-21. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Colorado again went heavy on the offensive line with three-star prospects Xavier Payne, Ben Gula and in-state product Josiah Manu all committed as of Tuesday. The linebacker room is also set to gain three bodies in Carson Crawford, Rodney Colton Jr. and Colby Johnson.

Along with those six, Colorado has commitments from two defensive backs, two wide receivers and a defensive lineman.

Top Commitments in the Class

Four-star prospects Carson Crawford (92 rating on 247Sports) and Preston Ashley (90) are Colorado's highest-rated class of 2026 commitments.

The linebacker Crawford is a former Texas State commit who flipped to Colorado soon after visiting Boulder in June. Other notable programs that have offered Crawford include Tulsa, Houston, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV. With Colorado losing its top four linebackers to graduation, Crawford may be able to compete for playing time in 2026 depending on how the transfer portal class shakes out.

Ashley is a four-star safety whose other notable Power Four offers include Oklahoma State, UCLA, West Virginia, Arkansas, Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M and Auburn. As things currently stand, the June commit will look to compete for playing time next season alongside Tawfiq Byard, John Slaughter and current freshman TJ Branch at safety.

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Recruiting Losses, Key Reclassification

Colorado suffered three decommitments in November: tight end Gavin Mueller, defensive lineman Emanuel Ruffin and safety D'Montae Tims. Mueller flipped to Miami, Ruffin committed to Ohio State, and Tims landed with Indiana.

News broke late Tuesday that four-star athlete Alexander Ward, the younger brother of three-star wide receiver commit Christian Ward, decided to reclassify from 2027 to 2026. Both Wards are IMG Academy products.

Historical Context & Class Ranking

As of Tuesday, Colorado's 2026 recruiting class ranks No. 105 nationally and No. 15 in the Big 12 Conference, according to 247Sports. Only Oklahoma State ranks below Colorado in the Big 12.

Colorado's 2025 high school signing class, which was headline by five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, ranked No. 38 nationally and included 15 members. The year before, "Coach Prime" landed 13 class of 2024 signees, a group that ranked No. 87 nationally.