Deion Sanders Reacts to Recruiting Concerns After Decommitment

A recent recruiting departure raised questions in Boulder, and Deion Sanders offered a brief assessment of the Colorado Buffaloes' incoming class.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders discussed his 2027 recruiting class during his Tuesday press conference. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Colorado Buffaloes lost five straight games this fall, and as if that wasn’t frustrating enough, questions about coach Deion Sanders’ future followed the team from one week to the next.

Noise like that usually sends commits looking for the exits. Through all of it, the 2027 recruiting class lost just one commitment, and it still held 20 pledges after its first decommitment of the cycle on Oct. 27, four days before the Kansas State win finally stopped the slide.

Deion Sanders said he talks with Colorado’s recruits every week and hosted a few over the Kansas State weekend. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Sanders was asked Tuesday how locked in those recruits are, with the early signing period about a month away. He started with the work that happens away from the cameras.

“I talked to our recruits every week. We had a couple of few this weekend,” Sanders said during his weekly press conference. Later in the same answer, he added, “We talked to some before the games.”

For a coach who rarely undersells anything, Sanders kept this one short and simple. The lack of a sales pitch said more than a speech would have, mostly because the numbers have been doing his talking.

Deion Sanders’ 2027 class has climbed fast

To put the turnaround in perspective, Colorado’s 2026 class finished No. 67 nationally and 15th out of 16 Big 12 teams in the Rivals rankings. 

Antioch High School’s Andre Adams (10) runs the ball as Clarksville High School's Ethan Dalrymple (7) attempts to tackle him during the second half of their game at Antioch High School Friday, October 23, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

By July, Rivals had the 2027 group at No. 37 nationally and No. 3 in the conference, a 30-spot jump in one cycle. The climb puts this group back in the neighborhood of the 2025 class, which Rivals ranked No. 35 nationally and second in the Big 12.

Four-star quarterback Andre Adams from Antioch, Tennessee, gives the class its headliner after he announced his commitment at his high school in April. 247Sports ranked him No. 188 nationally this summer, the best mark of any Colorado commit at the time. 

Behind him sits a group that goes straight at one of Colorado’s most obvious needs, with at least five offensive linemen committed. Four-star offensive lineman Dewey Young is among them, with his July commitment giving Colorado another highly rated option up front.

The map tells its own story. As of July, the class drew from 11 states, with Florida leading the way, and not one commit came from Colorado. Sanders is recruiting the Southeast like the Florida native he is, and the pitch keeps landing with kids who grew up nowhere near the Rockies.

Deion Sanders gets one more month to close

Colorado fans celebrate after the Buffaloes won a college football game against Colorado State at Folsom Field on Saturday, Sep. 16, 2023, in Boulder, Colo. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The weekend visitors Sanders mentioned picked a good time to come. They watched Colorado win at Folsom Field for the first time since mid-September, and they left with the Buffaloes carrying some momentum into November.

Of course, a commitment in November is still only a promise. Commits can’t sign until December’s early signing period, and the next four weeks are when rival programs typically make their final push for flips.

Sanders didn’t sound worried about any of that. His read on the commits came down to one word, and he kept leaning on it.

“They’re good. They’re really, really, really good,” Sanders said.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook for the latest news.