Colorado’s offseason leadership push has already left a mark on senior running back DeKalon Taylor, and he didn’t hide it.
Taylor was one of the Buffaloes players invited to Deion Sanders’ leadership retreat at his Texas ranch, where emerging leaders spent time learning from Sanders and a mix of current and former NFL names. In a recent video on the Buffs’ X account, Taylor made it clear the trip delivered exactly what it was supposed to.
“There’s just so much greatness around, so I can’t do anything but soak it up,” Taylor said. “Just getting all of that knowledge and learning from them, like how to take care of my body, how to deal with external pressures, learning how to say no to people…Picking up on game from those guys that I can add to my life to not only make me a better football player but make me a better man.”
The retreat included former Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Nate Newton, former Cowboys defensive end Tony Tolbert and current Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback/safety Jalen Ramsey. Of that group, Ramsey’s conversation has drawn the most attention.
Ramsey reportedly put the Buffaloes’ situation in perspective, stressing how unusual it is for the players to have that kind of coaching staff and those kinds of relationships around them. He also said that even with a National Championship at Florida State, he would have picked Coach Prime and Colorado over Tallahassee in his recruiting process if that setup had existed.
For Taylor, the timing matters. He enters his final season of eligibility in 2026, and he’s in a tight battle for the starting running back job. That said, he’s not exactly starting from scratch.
He already has a season in Boulder under his belt, making him one of just two upperclassmen who can say that. That experience gives him a built-in edge with the staff, since they already know what he brings.
And even if he doesn’t lock down the top spot, there should still be plenty of work for him. Brennan Marion’s offense often leans on two-back and even three-back sets, which should create opportunities for Taylor to get on the field.
The biggest question is health. Injuries knocked Taylor off track in 2025, so staying available will be a major part of his next step. If he can do that, the leadership retreat might end up being one of the early building blocks of a strong 2026 bounceback.
In Other News...
Colorado Is Suddenly Winning A Recruiting Fight Fans Know Well
Colorados 2027 recruiting board is starting to look a lot more like the version Deion Sanders envisioned when he arrived in Boulder. The Buffaloes have climbed to No. 35 in the 247Sports team rankings, a notable step up from where their 2026 class finished, and the group already includes 19 verbal commits with several of the kinds of prospects that help change the tone of a cycle. For a program still trying to turn national attention into sustained roster building, that matters.
The more interesting part is how Colorado has kept stacking wins even after taking a few losses on the trail. The Buffaloes have landed a cluster of key commitments and are sitting among the Big 12s better recruiting hauls, which is the kind of progress that can keep a class moving even when a couple of top targets go elsewhere. The next question is whether Colorado can keep that momentum long enough to finish the summer with a class that looks less like a hot start and more like a real recruiting statement. [Read more 🡒]
Rider Portela Is Giving Buffs Fans Exactly What They Crave
Rider Portela arrived in Boulder as the lone freshman in Colorados 2026 recruiting class, a status that made him stand out even before the group around him started to grow. By spring, the Buffaloes had added several more newcomers, turning what began as a one-man class into a much fuller freshman wave, and Portela has fit into that expansion while settling in under Tad Boyle and the rest of the staff.
For Colorado fans, the appeal goes beyond just another young body in the program. Portela has talked about wanting to spend all four years in Boulder, and his background as a coachs son gives him a different kind of grounding as he adjusts to Boyles system and the demands of college basketball. In a roster that is getting younger and deeper, that combination of patience and buy-in is exactly the sort of thing the Buffaloes can build around. [Read more 🡒]