Deion Sanders and Colorado are still in the mix for another major piece up front, and this one could carry real weight for the Buffaloes’ 2027 class.
The target is four-star offensive tackle Nate Carson of Irmo High School in Irmo, South Carolina, whose decision is set to come Friday, July 3, at 4 p.m. CT. 247Sports reported that Carson will announce live on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube Channel, and Colorado is one of four schools still standing alongside Clemson, Georgia and South Carolina.
That’s a strong final group, but the home-state angle matters here. Carson has taken official visits to all four schools, and 247Sports says he also made seven unofficial visits to South Carolina, five to Clemson and two to Georgia, while not taking any unofficial visits to Colorado.
That gives the Gamecocks and Tigers a natural edge if staying close to home ends up being the priority. Still, Colorado and Georgia are in the hunt, and both will have one last shot to sell Carson before he decides.
Carson is rated by 247Sports as the No. 184 overall player, the No. 24 offensive tackle and the No. 6 recruit in South Carolina for the 2027 class. At 6-4 and 290 pounds, he has the frame to stay at tackle, though he could also slide inside to guard. That kind of flexibility is part of what makes him such an appealing prospect.
The tape backs that up. On his 2025 film, Carson showed steady balance in pass protection and a clear feel for how to keep defenders from getting to his quarterback. He also displayed strong blocking angles, consistently steering defenders where he wanted them and opening running lanes in the process.
Colorado has already put together a hefty offensive line haul for 2027, landing four players up front: interior lineman Jayin Talib, a three-star prospect, plus tackles Li’Marcus Jones, a four-star, and three-stars Coderro McDaniel and Zaquan Linton. That group adds to a class that already includes 19 commitments overall, and the Buffaloes also picked up three-star running back Kylan Bobo less than 24 hours ago, giving Brennan Marion’s offense its first back in the cycle.
But the line remains the key. If Bobo is going to have room to work, Colorado has to keep stacking talent in front of him, and that’s why Carson matters. He’s the kind of recruit who could fit into the lineup sooner rather than later, whether at tackle or inside.
For Colorado, the message now is simple: keep building the relationship and keep pushing the NFL angle. The Buffaloes can point to Coach Prime’s own path and the connections that come with it, hoping that’s enough to sway Carson away from staying home.
Now it comes down to whether home wins out, or whether Sanders and Colorado land another important blocker for the future.
In Other News...
Colorado Makes Another Aggressive Move To Secure Its Kicking Future
Colorado is making a clear point about special teams planning, even with the season still unfolding. After adding kicker Cadel Ayala in a recent commitment, the Buffaloes have now extended an offer to 2027 specialist Dwayne Carter, another step in a deliberate effort to stock the room with more than just a single option. Right now, Colorado has one kicker in Elliot Arnold, and the staff is trying to get ahead of the kind of depth concerns that can creep in when a roster gets too thin at one of the sports most unforgiving jobs.
Carters recruitment has only just started to take shape, but Colorado is already involved early and has gotten him on campus for workouts. For a program that has seen enough uncertainty at the position to prioritize specialists again, that kind of early contact matters. The Buffaloes are not just chasing an insurance policy for the present, either, because the aim is to keep the kicking pipeline stable well beyond the immediate roster cycle. [Read more 🡒]
Coach Prime And Key Buffs Head To Big 12 Spotlight
Deion Sanders and several Colorado players are set to head into the conference spotlight next summer, with the Buffaloes scheduled to attend the 2026 Monster Energy Big 12 Football Media Days on July 7 in Frisco, Texas. The annual event brings together coaches and student-athletes from around the league, offering one of the first real chance points for teams to frame the season ahead before a national audience.
For Colorado, the trip will come with the usual questions about roster shape, expectations and how Sanders wants to present his program going into another Big 12 campaign. The event will also carry a meaningful tribute, as the conference plans to honor the late Adam Munsterteiger during the day, adding a more personal note to a showcase built around football and the people who cover it. [Read more 🡒]
Coach Prime Era Momentum Faces A New Test In Boulder
Colorados season-ticket surge under Deion Sanders is showing some wear, even if the broader picture still reflects a program that has climbed well past where it stood before his arrival. The school had sold 20,284 season tickets for 2026 as of Tuesday afternoon, a number that trails last years pace but still keeps the Buffaloes ahead of their pre-Prime baseline and firmly in a different neighborhood than the one the program occupied just a few years ago.
The more telling wrinkle is the drop in renewals, which has slipped to 78.3 percent after sitting near 98 percent in previous years. CU still expects to finish with more season tickets sold than it did before Sanders took over, but this marks a new test for the business side of the boom in Boulder and a reminder that even in a heightened era, maintaining momentum can be harder than creating it. [Read more 🡒]