Tag: Danny O’Neil

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.

Colorado loses commitment from 2024 QB Danny O’Neil

One day after Antwann Hill Jr. announced his decommitment, fellow Colorado QB recruit Danny O’Neil followed suit

The Colorado Buffaloes football program has endured three decommits so far this offseason.

On Sunday, class of 2025 quarterback Antwann Hill Jr. decommitted from Colorado. Then, on Monday, 2024 QB Danny O’Neil and 2025 running back Jamarice Wilder followed suit, per Hayes Fawcett of On3.

O’Neil was the first 2024 quarterback whom head coach Deion Sanders earned a commitment from. The Indianapolis native was an Elite 11 finalist and expected to be a huge piece of the future for the Buffs.

O’Neil threw for 2,068 yards and 31 touchdowns during his senior season at Cathedral High School. He also held offers from a number of schools, including Kentucky, Purdue, Louisville and Wake Forest.

The Buffs are now likely in the market for another young QB after losing a pair of commits in back-to-back days.

Class of 2025 WR Winston Watkins Jr. also decommitted from Colorado earlier this month, so the hits have been coming strong as of late for the Buffs.

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Multiple CU Buffs commits add to their highlight reels on Friday

Several #cubuffs commits looked quite impressive on Friday night

The 2023 season kicked off for many high school football teams across the country on Friday night and a handful of Colorado commits enjoyed big performances.

Those who were in action on Friday included quarterback Danny O’Neil, running backs Micah Welch and Jamarice Wilder, wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr., defensive end Eric Brantley and offensive lineman Talan Chandler, whose Nevada Tigers (Missouri) were scrimmaging.

Minus Chandler and Brantley, each of those Buffs commits recorded at least one touchdown. Colorado’s future is looking bright with this crop of talent, to say the least.

Check out a few of the best highlights from 2024 and 2025 CU football commits on Friday:

Danny O’Neil fights through illness to shine at Elite 11 QB competition

Not many other prospects have the dedication that Colorado QB commit Danny O’Neil showed last week

It was not an easy week by any means for Colorado football commit Danny O’Neil.

In an interview with BuffStampede’s Jimmie Searfoss, the 2024 QB revealed that days before he was set to compete at the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback competition, he ran a fever that later became strep throat. O’Neil added that due to frequent vomiting, he suffered an inflamed esophagus that made it difficult to even eat, resulting in him losing “12 to 15 pounds.”

Despite the illness, O’Neil completed the trip from his home city of Indianapolis to Los Angeles where the camp was held from June 14-16.

“Me and my parents weren’t sure if I was going to be able to make it,” O’Neil told BuffStampede. “We were thinking about calling to get a replacement because we weren’t sure if I was going to be able to physically go through the three days. I told him that I’ve been dreaming and working for this for years and I don’t want this to be my downfall.”

O’Neil gutted through the pain and completed an impressive 16-of-20 passes during the Pro Day events on day two.

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Colorado QB commit, Elite 11 finalist Danny O’Neil sends message to Buff Nation

Elite 11 finalist Danny O’Neil is fully optimistic about the future of #cubuffs football

The future of the Colorado Buffaloes football team is promising. The quarterback position looks loaded for the foreseeable future, and the addition of head coach Deion Sanders should have plenty of highly-ranked recruits coming to Boulder.

Class of 2024 quarterback Danny O’Neil is a three-star prospect who committed to Colorado in March, and he has since been busy recruiting others to come to Boulder as well.

With Shedeur Sanders possibly heading to the NFL after this next season, O’Neil should come in and have a chance to be the starter, although we have to imagine that the Buffs will continue to be a popular landing spot for players in the transfer portal.

O’Neil is currently an Elite 11 finalist, and he recently sent a message to Buff Nation:

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Buffs QB commit Danny O’Neil helping recruit other big-name prospects to Colorado

Danny O’Neil is doing his best to recruit other top prospects to Colorado

Danny O’Neil, a three-star QB and class of 2024 Colorado commit, threw in front of his future offensive coordinator Sean Lewis as part of his high school’s college day this past Thursday.

The Indiana prospect praised his future coaching staff and looked ahead to what could be on the horizon with the Buffs (h/t 247Sports).

“It’s definitely been a fun experience getting to know everyone on the coaching staff and trying to bring in the top guys in our class,” O’Neil told 247Sports.

The signal caller is now on recruiting duty, and he’s trying to get other big-name prospects to join him at Colorado.

“Styles Prescod, I’marion (Stewart) and Aaron Butler is another big one,” O’Neil told 247Sports. “Brauntae Johnson. Amari Jefferson. Kam Mikell.”

Some of those names are recruits you may have heard about previously, namely Johnson, who recently put the Buffs in his top 10, and Butler, who enjoyed his visit to CU and is getting crystal ball predictions for Colorado. Both Johnson and Butler are four-star prospects.

Meanwhile, O’Neil himself seems ready to start his new chapter at CU in short order.

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PHOTOS: 2024 Colorado QB commit Danny O’Neil

Take a photographic look at new Colorado QB commit Danny O’Neil

The Colorado Buffaloes found what could be their starting quarterback of the future on Tuesday in Indianapolis gunslinger Danny O’Neil.

The 2024 prospect is rated as a three-star by most recruiting platforms but that could change with another season at Cathedral High School coming up this fall. Most scouts consider him to be a pocket QB, yet his athleticism also shines when watching his tape. For more on O’Neil, we broke down his recruiting profile soon after he became Colorado’s first QB commitment for 2024.

First, though, check out a few photos of him from his sophomore and junior seasons at Cathedral:

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 lands first 2024 QB commitment in Danny O’Neil

Colorado received its first 2024 QB commitment in Indianapolis gunslinger Danny O’Neil

On Tuesday, Colorado landed a commitment from what could be the Buffaloes’ future starting quarterback in class of 2024 Indianapolis gunslinger Danny O’Neil.

While current QB Shedeur Sanders is only entering his third season of college football, there’s a chance he tests the NFL draft waters after next season, giving likely either Ryan Staub or Kasen Weisman — both 2023 signees — an opportunity to snag the starting role. But with O’Neil now in the picture, head coach Deion Sanders could be deciding between three different potential starting quarterbacks leading up to the 2024 season. (Thank you for speculating a bit with me.)

Danny O’Neil’s Recruiting Profile: