New Colorado Safety Naeten Mitchell Reveals How Deion Sanders Earned His Transfer Commitment

It didn't take long for the Colorado Buffaloes to become the obvious choice for safety Naeten Mitchell when he entered the transfer portal earlier this month.

With perhaps a little nudge from his grandmother, the former New Mexico State safety committed to Colorado this past weekend after a recruiting visit to Boulder. Mitchell marked one of coach Deion Sanders' first transfer portal commits and is expected to play a big role within the Buffs' defense.

Transfer Commit Naeten Mitchell Connection Deion Sanders Colorado Buffaloes New Mexico State Aggies College Football Portal — Naeten Mitchell (4) gets ready to tackle the Kennesaw State running back during Saturday's game. | Jaime Guzman/Special to the Sun-News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While appearing on Thee Pregame Show's "The Morning Run Live" earlier this week, Sanders spoke on an interaction he had with an unnamed grandmother during a recruiting visit.

"She said, 'Coach, I prayed a year and a half, and I wrote you a letter, but I never sent the letter, that my grandson would play for you, and here we are,'" Sanders said. "I said, 'Lord Jesus.'"

In a post-commitment interview with media personality Phillip Dukes, Mitchell revealed that his own grandmother had long been pushing for him to play for "Coach Prime" in Boulder.

New Colorado Safety Commit Nate Mitchell @NaetenMitchell on meeting Coach Prime @DeionSanders , the energy in the building, and how Grandma helped seal the deal.

Entire interview here: https://t.co/M80HJKy2gL pic.twitter.com/HOeG6icMTW
— Phillip Dukes (@DukestheScoop) January 9, 2026

"I saw an interview where he was talking about my grandmother," Mitchell told Dukes. "We went into the recruiting room and my grandmother told him about a time she wrote him a note. My grandma has really wanted this for me for a long time. She has talked about this for a long time.

"Being able to have her there and talk to him, it was a blessing. Even that he remembered to talk about that in the interview, that means a lot to me. That's even more of a reason to go there."

What Naeten Mitchell Brings To Colorado

Mitchell comes to Colorado following a dominant 2025 season at New Mexico State, finishing the year with 93 total tackles, three interceptions, nine passes defended and four forced fumbles. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound transfer told Dukes that he takes great pride in his versatility and knack for forcing turnovers.

"I feel like I'm very versatile," Mitchell said. "I played safety in high school and then I moved to corner my freshman year of college, and then I moved to nickel my sophomore year. And then my junior year, as you could see, I moved to safety. That's (New Mexico State safeties) coach (Henry) Fernandez. He saw it in me even before I saw it in myself. He always told me that he wanted me to play free (safety). I put my head down and just focused on playing free."

MORE: Why Colorado Buffaloes Are Dominating Transfer Portal Despite Rough Season

MORE: Colorado's Jordon Seaton Sends Strong Message To Ohio State Cousin Entering Transfer Portal

MORE: Deion Sanders to Cleveland Browns Comes With Big Warning

Before his breakout 2025 season, Mitchell redshirted as a freshman in 2023 and had nine tackles the following year.

Mitchell, the cousin of Denver Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron, is one of 22 transfers who've so far committed to Colorado this month. Other defensive backs on board with "Coach Prime" include cornerbacks Cree Thomas (Notre Dame) and Justin Eaglin (James Madison).