James Franklin Snatches Potential Signee From Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes

According to one recruiting insider, coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes came close to landing a surprise prospect during the first day of the college football national early signing period.

BuffStampede.com's Adam Munsterteiger was expecting 12 recruits to sign with the Buffs on Wednesday, but he revealed that one instead chose coach the Virginia Tech Hokies due to a "late NIL package provided by James Franklin." While appearing on Thee Pregame Show's "The Morning Run" on Wednesday, Munsterteiger said the unnamed player was briefly committed to Colorado before flipping to Virginia Tech.

"There was another commit who was committed to Penn State that was supposed to be a Buff," Munsterteiger said. "He committed to the Buffaloes last night (Tuesday) and then NIL got in the way... I just heard that he's probably going to stick with James Franklin and go to Virginia Tech, so that's unfortunate."

James Franklin Potential Signee Deion Sanders Colorado Buffaloes Virginia Tech Hokies Penn State Trey Wiggins Amauri Polydor — Nov 29, 2025; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders looks on during the second quarter against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

Franklin was fired from Penn State in October following a 3-3 start to his 12th season leading the Nittany Lions. He was jobless for about one month before signing a five-year deal with the Hokies.

As of Thursday, Franklin's first high school signing class at Virginia Tech features 22 players (plus one commit) and is ranked No. 23 nationally, per 247Sports. Sanders' class is ranked No. 103 nationally, with 10 players signed and another expected to make things official soon.

Who Flipped From Colorado To Virginia Tech?

Munsterteiger didn't reveal a specific name, but four-star linebacker Terry Wiggins and three-star cornerback Amauri Polydor both fit the bill as former Penn State commits who were recently recruited by Colorado. The two defensive standouts were both in Boulder for Colorado's home finale on Nov. 22 before ultimately signing with Virginia Tech on Wednesday.

According to 247Sports, Wiggins is the No. 8 linebacker in his class and the No. 120 overall prospect nationally. The Coatesville, Pennsylvania, product would have been the fourth linebacker in Colorado's signing class, joining Carson Crawford, Rodney Colton Jr. and Colby Johnson.

Polydor hails from Baltimore, Maryland, and is the No. 89 cornerback in the 2026 class. He visited Virginia Tech this past weekend before signing with Franklin's Hokies. If Polydor had signed with Colorado, he would've joined Preston Ashley and Maurice Williams as the lone defensive backs.

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Deion Sanders' Honest Thoughts On NIL

Although he was primarily referring to players in the transfer portal, Sanders' recent thoughts on NIL still hold true with many high school players prioritizing money.

“You’ve gotta understand when a guy leaves a program that selected him, or got him out of the portal, he leaves for a multitude of reasons," Sanders said in a press conference. "The number one reason people leave is money. It’s not a disdain for staff or players. It’s money — let’s just be honest, man. Let’s stop sugarcoating this foolishness.”