Colorado’s 2027 recruiting class already has some real punch, but the Buffaloes may have landed their sneakiest win in a cornerback who still wasn’t getting much national attention when he committed.
The Buffaloes are sitting on 19 verbal commits after the Fourth of July, and four of them are four-star prospects by the 247Sports composite rankings. That puts Colorado among just two Big 12 programs with four four-stars in this cycle. Only Texas Tech has more, with 10.
There’s plenty of credit to go around for the staff that helped build that group. Coach Deion Sanders has leaned on director of player personnel Darrius Darden-Box, director of recruiting Rashad Rich, offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, assistant offensive line coach Gunnar White and the rest of the staff to keep stacking commitments. The class has star power, but the best value pick might be cornerback Prince Washington.
Washington came in as a late-summer addition after Colorado made its move on May 14, when the Buffaloes offered the Houston Lamar High standout. At the time, he had no star rating from 247Sports, On3/Rivals or ESPN, but he wasn’t exactly flying completely under the radar.
Houston had already offered. Memphis had too.
Colorado State was in the mix as well.
Aaron Fletcher was the coach who pushed this one over the finish line. Colorado’s cornerbacks coach identified Washington as a player worth betting on, and the Buffaloes got involved just as the recruiting surge started to build.
What makes Washington stand out is the kind of defender he already looks like on tape. He reads screen action well before the snap, gets to the ball quickly and brings the kind of short-area burst that helps erase space in a hurry. That matters in a league where tempo can stress a defense snap after snap.
He also plays with composure. When quarterbacks test him, he doesn’t get reckless at the line.
He stays square, keeps his hips low and doesn’t overcommit. That gives Colorado a corner who looks steady and disciplined, not just athletic.
The Buffaloes have two other cornerbacks in the 2027 class in Davon Dericho and Will Rasmussen. Dericho, at 5-9, looks like the slot option, while Rasmussen has traits that could fit on the perimeter. Washington brings something different: he’s the tallest and most physical of the three.
That kind of size matters, especially with the Big 12’s 2027 receiver crop shaping up to be dangerous. The conference is expected to feature four-star Blake Wong, a BYU commit, four-star Benny Easter Jr., a Texas Tech commit, four-star Carter Bonner, who is pledged to West Virginia, and Jaxton Itaaehau, a Utah four-star commit who is likely to play receiver.
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