Tag: colorado recruiting

Jordan Seaton, a 5-star offensive tackle, commits to Colorado football

Jordan Seaton made a shocking pick for Colorado football.

Rumors of head coach Deion Sanders’ demise appear to have been greatly exaggerated. Thursday’s commitment from five-star offensive lineman Jordan Seaton is further proof that Colorado football, despite a rough for weeks, is still quite the force to be reckoned with.

Seaton, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound offensive lineman from No. 4 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida), is the No. 19 recruit in the nation according to ESPN. He was the highest-ranked player in the nation who was un-committed.

He picked Colorado from a stacked offer list that included Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee among others.

Moving well and lightly on his feet, Seaton is able to slide and plant very well. He has some nuance to his blocking and quick hands that allow him to adjust almost effortlessly to any kind of a rush.

Seaton has good power and strength but also has a frame that could easily blossom in the Colorado strength and conditioning program.

In the last few weeks, Colorado has been hit with questions about the direction of their program. After a strong start to their first season under Sanders, Colorado stumbled and finished 4-8 with six straight losses to close out the season.

 

A couple of recruits in the 2024 class de-committed and several starters entered the transfer portal this past week.

But landing Seaton certainly gets some of the mojo back for Colorado.

Colorado loses commitments of 2 more high school recruits

Colorado and Deion Sanders lost the recruitments of two more commits on Monday: 2024 QB Danny O’Neil and 2025 RB Jamarice Wilder.

After four-star athlete Kam Mikell committed to Colorado on Thursday and the Buffaloes fought Utah tough to close out the season, it seemed like the program was picking up momentum going into winter recruiting.

Now? The loss to Utah was immediately followed by three decommitments from high school recruits, two of which came on Monday. The program must adjust and find new prospects who can play the needed roles.

On Monday morning, three-star 2024 quarterback Danny O’Neil decommitted from the Buffaloes, according to On3. Not long after, three-star 2025 running back Jamarice Wilder announced through On3 that he, too, has re-opened his recruitment.

These decommitments follow that of 4-star 2025 quarterback Antwann Hill, who re-opened his recruitment but said Colorado remains “a top priority.”

O’Neil, listed at 6-foot and 185, helped Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) reach the regional championships in his final high school season. As a senior, he completed 61.6% of his passes for 2,086 yards, 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while rushing 118 times for 722 yards.

He is ranked on the 247Sports Composite as the No. 40 quarterback in the class of 2024. If junior QB Shedeur Sanders, son of head coach Deion Sanders, decides to enter the NFL draft, 2023 QB commit Ryan Staub may have the upper hand in the quarterback competition for next season.

Wilder, listed as 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, is ranked as the No. 51 running back on the 247Sports Composite. At Venice (Fla.), he has rushed for 1,040 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior, with the team set to play in the semifinals this weekend.

Neither of those recruits was ranked particularly highly when compared to the levels of some highly touted recruits in the last couple of years, but it still stings Colorado to lose them. The Buffaloes have just nine hard commits in the class of 2024. While that is headlined by four-star players Mikell and Aaron Butler, Houston is the only Big 12 team with fewer, according to 247Sports. Three schools in the conference have 20 or more as of Nov. 27.

Walker was the only remaining player in the class of 2025 to be committed to Colorado. There is plenty of time to make up ground, but the solid start for the Buffaloes’ recruiting class has receded.

Colorado finished 4-8 with one conference win in its final season in the Pac-12. The program will join the Big 12 next season.

4-star 2025 quarterback Antwann Hill decommits from Colorado Buffaloes

Antwann Hill, a top quarterback in 2025, decommitted from Colorado and head coach Deion Sanders but said the Buffaloes remain a priority.

Antwann Hill, who is among the top quarterback prospects in the high school class of 2025, announced his decommitment from the Colorado Buffaloes football team on Sunday.

Hill initially committed to Colorado in October with plans to reclassify to 2024 and enroll early. According to ESPN, after deciding to stay in the class of 2025, Hill will re-evaluate his recruitment and visit other schools.

He told ESPN that Colorado is still “a top priority” but wants to see programs including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.

“I really just want to take the process slower and make sure I’m making the right decision for me and my family at the end of the day,” he said to the news outlet. “I’m going to get back out there on the market and make the right decision.”

Hill is ranked on the 247Sports Composite as the No. 5 quarterback in the class of 2025 and the No. 59 recruit overall. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, he broke out as a sophomore with 3,663 yards and 40 touchdowns to just three interceptions, according to ESPN. This year, he threw for 2,732 yards, 31 touchdowns and five interceptions this season.

Colorado now loses its second recruit of the 2025 class as it finishes its season with a record of 4-8. With just one win in conference play, the Buffaloes finished last in the Pac-12.

Four-star wide receiver Winston Watkins decommitted on Nov. 12, leaving only one 2025 recruit committed to Colorado.

Head coach Deion Sanders built up allure for the program ahead of this season, attracting the No. 21 overall recruiting class of 2023 with highlights like five-star CB Cormani McClain, four-star RB Dylan Edwards and four-star receivers Omarion Miller and Adam Hopkins.

The 2024 class isn’t as strong but does have high-level commits including top-100 athletes Aaron Butler and Kamron Mikell, as ranked by 247Sports.

These players will work to build up the program as it shifts from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 and recoup losses in 2025 — or convince Hill that Colorado should continue being a priority and is, in fact, the right decision.

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Deion Sanders shares Travis Hunter’s alleged million-dollar-plus NIL offers to head elsewhere, talks Colorado recruiting

$1.5 million?!

Perhaps no college football team will look more different from the 2022 season to the 2023 season than Colorado under new head coach Deion Sanders. The NFL legend, who is left Jackson State for the Pac-12 program, led a recruiting whirlwind for the Buffaloes, headlined by the transfer of star wide receiver/cornerback combo Travis Hunter.

Sanders joined 247Sports for a Q&A recently, where he spoke about Travis Hunter’s transfer to Colorado and the Buffaloes’ mindset of recruiting.

The coach said other programs attempted to lure Hunter with NIL offers up to $1.5 million, but the highly touted recruit chose to follow Sanders.

“People offered Travis Hunter a bag. About $1.5 million to try to lure him and buy him out of the transfer portal. But Travis is not the kind of guy that can be bought. He isn’t built like that. Travis is a relational young man that is built on relationships and stability. And that’s what he wanted and desired. That is why he decided to ride and stay with us,” Sanders said to 247Sports.

Hunter was the No. 1 prospect in the high school class of 2022 and shocked many when he committed to Jackson State. After a year at the HBCU, where he had 18 receptions for 188 yards and four touchdowns on offense and 20 tackles, 10 pass breakups and two interceptions (including a pick-six) on defense, Hunter announced his move to Colorado.

“I cannot wait until they see what he is capable of doing in these next couple of years. Because he will be a top-5 or top-3 pick after his junior year. But the sky’s the limit, he is going to play both ways and he is a vital part of the offense and the defense, and he wants that,” Sanders said.

“First he needs to have his grades correct and needs to be eligible through our compliance department. Then, he needs to be tough, smart, fast, disciplined and with character. And he has to understand that this coaching staff is old school. Not old fools, but old school. A lot of our principles and the way we attack the game comes from way back when. And we are still that way because that way is the way and it has not failed us yet. So it’s a tremendous expectation, but we go hard and we play fast. And you have to love this thing. We don’t want you to be ‘in like’ with it. We want you to be ‘in love’ with it.”

Colorado loses one 4-star athlete to LSU, adds another

Former Colorado commit Ju’Juan Johnson joins LSU’s class of 2024, while Aaron Butler picks the Buffaloes.

It’s been a whirlwind six months since Deion Sanders took over as the head coach at Colorado. His arrival has not only made Boulder a recruiting hotspot, but it also has shaken the NCAA to the core via the transfer portal.

This week the Buffaloes suffered some comeuppance by losing a four-star to the transfer portal. 

Lafayette Christian Academy (La.) four-star athlete Ju’Juan Johnson committed to LSU with this video announcement on Monday.

Johnson (5-foot-11, 188 pounds) de-committed from Colorado last month.

Going by the 247Sports composite rankings, Johnson is No. 22 among athletes, No. 7 in Louisiana and No. 267 nationally in the class of 2024. LSU’s group of 15 hard commits now ranks No. 5 in the country in the cycle.

While losing Johnson was a tough beat, Colorado made up for it on Tuesday by getting a commitment from Calabasas (Calif.) four-star athlete Aaron Butler.

Butler (6-foot-0, 165 pounds) had previously been committed to USC. He also had offers from 30 other programs, including Alabama, Georgia and Colorado State.

Asked why he picked the Buffs, Butler gave On3 a litany of reasons, among them quality education and prepping for the next level.

“NFL prep – coverage IQ & route running abilities in a face-paced “pass heavy” Coach Lewis offense which seeks to make every coverage “wrong” increasing my chances of being +1,000 yard WR year over year.”

Butler ranks No. 7 among athletes, 12th overall in the state of California and No. 95 nationally. Meanwhile, Colorado’s class of 2024 now ranks No. 34 in the nation.

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Colorado adds 3-star quarterback recruit to class of 2024

This morning, Cathedral (Ind.) three-star QB Danny O’Neil announced he is committed to Colorado.

Deion Sanders’ son Shedeur will presumably be starting at quarterback for Colorado this coming season. The rest of their depth chart at QB is a work in progress, though. They took another significant step forward today, adding a new quarterback recruit to their class of 2024.

This morning, Cathedral (Ind.) three-star QB Danny O’Neil announced he is committed to Colorado. Here’s the message he shared on Twitter.

“First off I would like to thank my parents for their endless love and support. You guys have given me every opportunity I could have asked for without ever questioning a thing. I want to thank my Cathedral coaches and the Morelli family for supporting me and pushing me to become the player that I am today. Thank you to all of the coaches who gave me the opportunity to continue my career for their school. And lastly I want to thank God for blessing me and allowing me to play the game I love. With that being said l will be continuing my athletic and academic career and the University of Colorado…”

via @danny_oneil18

The scouting report on O’Neil credits his accuracy, decision-making and navigating the pocket.

Over the last two seasons as a starter, O’Neil has thrown for a total of 5,610 yards and 65 touchdown passes to go with just nine interceptions. He’s not Michael Vick, but he can also produce on the ground, totaling 19 touchdowns and 598 yards as a rusher during that time.

According to the composite rankings, O’Neil (6-foot-0, 185 pounds) is 33rd among quarterbacks in his class and No. 6 overall in the state of Indiana.

Colorado won out over 18 other college programs, with top contenders including Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville and Purdue.

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Colorado hosting highly-recruited 4-star RB Stacy Gage for spring game

Several important recruits will be visiting Boulder for the game, including St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) four-star running back Stacy Gage.

We will get our first glimpse of Deion Sanders’ new-look Colorado team at their spring game on April 22, which will be broadcast live on ESPN.

Naturally, several important potential recruits will be visiting Boulder for the event. That list includes St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) four-star running back Stacy Gage, who announced he was coming last week on his Twitter page.

Colorado’s class of 2024 has five commits so far, but none of them are running backs, so picking up Gage would fill a need. He’s also one of the best at his position in the recruiting cycle. According to the composite rankings, he is No. 10 among running backs and No. 23 overall in Florida.

We know the Buffaloes are at least in the running. At the end of an impressive 2022 season, Gage included Colorado among his top eight schools. He has a ton of other suitors, though, as almost 50 other programs have made offers.

At the moment, On3’s prediction model has Florida (20.7%), Ohio State (18.2%), Oklahoma (15.6%) and Florida State (9.8%) as the top contenders.

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Colorado on a Roll: New 3-star QB says ‘We are about to change college football’

Boulder, Colorado has suddenly become the center of the football universe.

Boulder, Colorado has suddenly become the center of the football universe. The arrival of Deion Sanders as head coach at Colorado has set off a storm of excitement and a surge in the team’s recruiting business.

The latest to join the class of 2023 is South Paulding (Ga.) three-star quarterback Kasen Weisman, who signed on Christmas. Commenting on his decision, Weisman (6-foot-2, 180 pounds) alluded to Sanders’ history as a winner, per Steve Wiltfong at 247 Sports.

“The staff is elite and they are all winners. They know what it takes to become champions and I want to be around those types of people… We are about to change college football. And I wanted to be a part of it. There is about to be a lot of winning going on in Boulder!”

27 other schools made offers to Weisman, including Florida State, South Carolina, Wisconsin and California.

He wasn’t their only holiday weekend recruit, either. On Christmas Eve, four-star wide receiver Omarion Miller committed.

On Monday the Buffaloes got another blue chip prospect on board, as Omar White (6-foot-2, 305 pounds) from Valdosta (Ga.) announced his commitment via Twitter.

According to On3 White is the No. 83 overall prospect in the class of 2024, the No. 7 ranked DL and No. 13 player in Georgia. However, 247 Sports has him slotted No. 24 among DL in his class and No. 34 in the state.

White also had 27 other offers to choose from, including Alabama.

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4-star WR Omarion Miller commits to Colorado

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Colorado adds another four-star recruit to their class of 2023

On Christmas Eve, North Caddo (La.) four-star wide receiver Omarion Miller signed with Colorado.

He still has a long way to go, but Deion Sanders is building up a contender in Colorado. Over the holiday weekend, the Buffaloes added another four-star recruit to their class of 2023.

On Christmas Eve, North Caddo (La.) four-star wide receiver Omarion Miller signed with Colorado.

Miller (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) had previously been committed to Nebraska but opened up his recruiting on December 2. He had nine offers all together, including LSU, Miami and South Carolina.

Few receivers around the country have been more productive than Miller over the last few yeaars. Since his Sophomore season he’s totaled 154 catches, 3,492 receiving yards and 43 touchdowns.

After being slotted at No. 61 just a few weeks ago, Colorado’s 2023 recruiting class is now ranked No. 23 in the nation. Miller is the third four-star prospect they’ve recruited since Sanders was hired, but their real progress has come via the transfer portal. Five-star cornerback Travis Hunter is the biggest prize and several other blue chip players have also transferred. The Buffaloes’ transfer class ranks No. 3 in the country.

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Coach Prime Factor: Every 2023 Colorado commitment since Deion Sanders was hired

Deion Sanders is getting busy rebuilding Colorado’s football program in his own image.

Deion Sanders is getting busy rebuilding Colorado’s football program in his own image.

Since Sanders was hired as the Buffaloes’ new head coach a couple weeks ago, hundreds of recruits have reached out and a few high-profile names have verbally committed – including 2025 five-star wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr., cousin of NFL receiver Sammy Watkins.

The Buffaloes have also added a few more recruits to their 2023 class since. Here’s a look at everyone who has committed  since Sanders was hired.

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