Colorado’s 2027 recruiting class is starting to draw national attention, and four-star offensive tackle Dewey Young is one of the reasons why.
ESPN recruiting analysts Craig Haubert and Billy Tucker released a Thursday list highlighting one prospect from each of the nation’s top 40 recruiting classes who could make an early impact. Colorado checked in at No. 40 in ESPN’s latest 2027 class rankings, and Young was the Buffaloes commit they singled out as the best bet to help early. He is outside ESPN’s SC Next 300, so the choice was less about national ranking and more about where Colorado needs help most.
The logic was simple: “protecting Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis remains a priority.” ESPN pointed to the Buffaloes giving up one sack in the season-opening win at Georgia Tech and three more against Weber State. Colorado still put up 52 points in the Weber State game, but the sack total was enough for Haubert and Tucker to make the case that another young lineman could have a real shot at the field.
Young’s profile fits that need. ESPN highlighted his strength, bend, and footwork in pass protection, and that matters because Colorado is trying to build an offensive line that can grow alongside Lewis instead of starting over every offseason.
The Buffaloes also beat out some familiar competition for Young. He had more than 20 offers and took official visits to Colorado, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, and Georgia before deciding.
Michigan State had been part of the picture too, and for good reason: Young’s father, Duane Young, played four seasons there, earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 1990, and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers the next year. His older brother, D.J.
Young, started at Bowling Green before transferring to Michigan State and playing offensive line.
Michigan State offered Dewey in May 2025, but the Spartans did not make his final four. By July, Young was down to Colorado, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt, and he committed to the Buffaloes on July 6.
“Colorado has been on me heavily since spring of my sophomore year,” Young told Rivals' Greg Smith before committing.
That early attention helps explain why Colorado stayed in the mix while other programs with stronger recent recruiting résumés kept pressing. Young became Colorado’s20th commitment in the 2027 class, and offensive line coach Gunnar White led his recruitment, according to 247Sports, as part of a broader push to bring more high school linemen into the program.
There’s still some disagreement about where Young will end up playing. ESPN lists him as an offensive tackle, Rivals has him as an interior offensive lineman, and 247Sports has noted that his long-term ceiling could be inside even though he has plenty of tackle experience.
That kind of versatility is valuable for a class that also includes four-star lineman Li’Marcus Jones. Young also plays baseball, giving Colorado another multi-sport athlete as the Buffaloes keep making the offensive line a clear recruiting priority.
For now, though, the immediate job belongs to the current line and its work protecting Lewis at Northwestern on Saturday. ESPN’s recognition of Young is about what Colorado hopes he becomes, and why the Buffaloes kept after him for more than a year.
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