When you’re a cornerback with All-Sun Belt honors and a College Football Playoff appearance under your belt, you’re going to draw attention in the transfer portal. But when the first call you get is from Deion Sanders-the gold standard at your position-it hits a little different.
That’s exactly what happened to Justin Eaglin.
Fresh off a breakout year at James Madison, Eaglin entered the portal and quickly found himself on the radar of Colorado’s head coach. And it wasn’t just a courtesy call.
Sanders came prepared, referencing specific plays from Eaglin’s season-proof that he wasn’t just impressed by measurables. He was watching the tape.
“When I heard Deion Sanders’ voice and he said he watched my game... I know he was actually watching my film,” Eaglin said. “That was like, man, Deion Sanders is watching my film, I gotta at least go up there and talk to him and see how he feels.”
Eaglin made the trip, liked what he heard, and now he’s a Colorado Buffalo-enrolled and ready to be a central figure in a revamped defense that’s starting almost from scratch.
Let’s be clear: Colorado’s defense last season didn’t just struggle-it collapsed. The Buffs finished 112th in points allowed (30.5 per game) and 123rd in yards allowed (425.7 per game).
That’s near the bottom of the FBS barrel. And with only five scholarship defenders returning from that unit, the overhaul isn’t just cosmetic-it’s foundational.
Eaglin steps into a cornerback room that’s been reshaped almost entirely through the portal. RJ Johnson and Makari Vickers are back, but both dealt with injuries and played limited roles.
Around them, it’s a new cast: Emory Floyd (App State), Paul Omodia (Lamar), Jason Stokes (Utah), and Cree Thomas (Notre Dame) bring varying levels of experience and accolades. Add in true freshmen Preston Ashley and Maurice Williams, and it’s a wide-open competition.
But Eaglin isn’t just another name on the roster. He’s coming off a season that turned heads across the country.
The 6-foot, 177-pound corner racked up 35 tackles, five interceptions, and eight pass breakups for a James Madison team that went 12-2, won the Sun Belt, finished No. 19 in the final AP poll, and earned a spot in the CFP. He even snagged a pick in the Dukes’ semifinal loss to Oregon.
“It felt legendary, man,” Eaglin said. “To be able to go to the playoff with some of my guys who I came in with my freshman year... we just looked around like, ‘Bruh, we did it.’”
And that journey wasn’t handed to him. Coming out of Pine Forest High School in North Carolina, Eaglin had just one FBS offer-James Madison.
No Alabama. No Clemson.
Just a shot from then-head coach Curt Cignetti, and Eaglin took it.
“I got lucky because a lot of people couldn’t even get any offers (coming out of COVID-19),” he said. “I took that opportunity like, yeah, it’s not Alabama but you’re still playing Division I football.”
He redshirted in 2022, then barely saw the field in 2023 thanks to freshman All-American D’Angelo Ponds. But when Cignetti and Ponds left for Indiana-where they just led the Hoosiers to a national title-Eaglin finally got his shot under new head coach Bob Chesney.
“Coach Chesney gave me that shot, and from there I just took off,” Eaglin said. “I feel like all I needed was a shot.”
Now, with one year of eligibility left, he’s betting big on himself at Colorado. And he’s doing it under the guidance of a coach who knows his position better than anyone who’s ever played it.
“I feel like Deion Sanders is going to take my game over the top where I’m not just a good corner no more, I’m a great corner,” Eaglin said.
He’s grateful for his time at JMU, and he’s not shy about saying he’ll miss it. But he’s ready for this next chapter-ready to prove he belongs on the Power Four stage, ready to show he can thrive under the bright lights and big expectations that come with playing for Coach Prime.
“I’m real excited, man, just new beginnings,” Eaglin said. “I know a lot’s going to come with it, but I’m ready, man.
I’m ready to attack it full, head-on. … I know I can (play at this level), but I want to show everybody else I can.”
For Colorado, the rebuild continues. But with Eaglin anchoring the secondary, the Buffs may have found a cornerstone in the making.