Colorado still has five months to finish building its 2027 recruiting class, but the Buffaloes have already made a clear statement this summer.
They are not sitting anywhere near the national elite yet - not in the top 10, not even the top 30 - but the early returns are much stronger than they were a year ago. Colorado is now listed at No. 35 overall by 247Sports, an upgrade from the No. 51 finish it posted for the 2026 cycle. On3/Rivals has the Buffaloes a bit lower, at No. 42, but the broader picture is the same: this is a program gaining real traction on the trail.
A big part of that push has come with Deion Sanders back healthy after his bout with bladder cancer. But Colorado’s rise this summer has also been built by the people around him.
Director of recruiting Rashad Rich has brought in experience from Penn State, where he helped assemble classes under James Franklin, and he has already helped win over several blue-chip prospects out east. Director of player personnel Darrius Darden-Box has also played a key role in closing deals.
Offensive coordinator Brennan Marion has been especially effective in the Midwest, where his ties run deep, while assistant offensive line coach Gunnar White has helped Colorado land key targets, including a notable flip from SEC country.
The Buffaloes had 19 verbal commits as of the Fourth of July, and four of them are four-stars in the 247Sports composite. Several of the biggest additions came in May and June, with Sanders’ staff doing the heavy lifting.
Li'Marcus Jones, a four-star tackle from Brentwood Academy in Tennessee, drew SEC attention and had Mississippi State in the final mix before White helped Colorado land him, according to Chad Simmons of On3/Rivals.
Gabe Jenkins, a four-star safety from Imani Christian Academy in Pittsburgh, is Colorado’s highest-rated defensive commit. Rich led the way in that recruitment, and the 6-2 defender turned down offers from Penn State, Michigan, Florida and Georgia.
Jaiden Kelly-Murray, a four-star wide receiver and former South Carolina commit, looks like a natural fit for Marion’s fast-moving “Go-Go” offense. Rich and inside wide receivers coach Rashad Davis helped bring in the Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, standout.
Then there was Coderro McDaniel, a tackle and former Ole Miss commit, whose flip came in June with White again making the difference. His Mississippi background mattered here.
Colorado’s summer surge has also been about bouncing back when the board didn’t break its way. The Buffaloes were considered strong contenders for four-star defensive tackles Tyler Alexander and Khyren Haywood, but Alexander chose Texas and Haywood went to Texas Tech. Colorado answered by adding three players in a two-day burst from June 6-7: three-star tackle Zaquan Linton, three-star edge rusher Jovon Pulliam and three-star safety Samari Howard.
The same thing happened when unranked running back commit Steven Alexis moved on to Illinois. Colorado responded by landing three-star Tupelo, Mississippi, running back Kylan Bobo, its most recent commit on July 1.
The result is a class that now has more four-star commitments and a better national ranking than last year’s group. It also sits inside the Big 12’s top five recruiting classes according to the national outlets.
In Other News...
Coach Prime Still Has One Massive Colorado Decision To Make
Colorados offseason has been about adding talent and reworking the staff, but the real work is still ahead as fall camp approaches. Deion Sanders and his staff have a few major lineup calls to settle before the 2026 season, and the biggest ones are the kind that can shape everything from the offenses identity to how steady the defense looks on the back end.
One of the more intriguing battles is at cornerback, where Cree Thomas appears set on one side but the other spot remains open with several players in the mix. Up front, Colorado is still searching for the right five on the offensive line after spring practice, and those decisions will matter just as much as the quarterback conversation as the Buffaloes try to turn all that new depth into a more complete team. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Ramsey Just Gave Deion Sanders And Colorado A Huge Endorsement
Jalen Ramseys visit to Colorados leadership retreat gave Deion Sanders another notable endorsement from one of the NFLs top defensive backs, and it fit the message Sanders has been selling since arriving in Boulder. Ramsey spoke to Buffaloes players during the retreat and said he modeled parts of his own game after Sanders, a reminder of how much pull Sanders still has with elite defensive talent even after moving from the sideline to the college ranks.
For Colorado, the timing mattered as much as the name attached to it. The retreat was designed to help the Buffaloes build leadership after a difficult season, and hearing from a player like Ramsey only reinforces the idea that Sanders influence still resonates beyond campus. It also adds to the sense that Colorados path forward will depend not just on talent, but on whether the program can turn that kind of respect into a stronger locker room. [Read more 🡒]
Randon Fontenette Showed Exactly What Coach Prime Wants At Colorado
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For Colorado, the significance is bigger than one afternoon in Houston. Fontenettes charitable work lines up with Coach Primes emphasis on character and community involvement, and it gives the Buffaloes another example of a player embracing that standard away from football. If he keeps showing that kind of initiative, it is easy to see Fontenette becoming one of the voices the program leans on in 2026. [Read more 🡒]