Colorado football's 2026 class puts more pressure on Deion Sanders
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The early signing period for the 2026 college football class opened on Wednesday, December 3. As of today, this is, on paper, the weakest recruiting class of the Deion Sanders era at Colorado. The Buffaloes signed ten players on Wednesday. None were five stars, and only two were four stars in defensive back Preston Ashley and linebacker Carson Crawford. The other eight signees were all three-star prospects, and 247Sports has the entire group ranked 103rd in the country.
How this recruiting class stacks up against prior classes
It is the lowest-ranked class Sanders has brought to Boulder. In 2025, Colorado landed a top-24 class, headlined by five-star quarterback Julian Lewis. In 2024, the class was ranked 22nd, with Jordan Seaton leading the way, and in 2023, CU finished 21st, led by Cormani McClain, Dylan Edwards and Omarion Miller. This is not a catastrophe, but it is discouraging to see the program lose some momentum on the recruiting trail. It is likely a combination of Sanders’ health issues and the team’s on-field struggles. A 3-9 record does not make it easy to attract elite high school talent.
Now there is even more pressure on Sanders and the Buffaloes to put together an outstanding transfer portal class. They have excelled at landing talent through the portal, but that approach has not always translated to wins. The 2023 portal class was ranked No. 1 yet produced only four victories. It did bring elite players like Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders to Boulder, but relying almost entirely on transfers is difficult to sustain. It is like putting a bandage on a bullet hole. While Sanders has developed some recruits, most of Colorado’s impact production still comes from the portal. The 2025 season showed that this model does not consistently lead to success. You need a foundation built through strong high school recruiting and players who can grow in the program, then supplement that base with strategic additions from the portal. Just look at the teams in the current CFP picture.
Where Colorado goes from here
Ole Miss is a good comparison for Colorado. Both programs lack a deep history of success, yet both have coaches, resources and NIL support aimed at shaking up the college football landscape. Ole Miss’s 2025 class ranked 16th among high school recruits and 4th in the portal. Former head coach Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss program understood the importance of recruiting. They regularly finished in the high teens, then struck gold on several prospects and consistently landed top-five portal classes. That is the blueprint Colorado should follow. Sanders has attempted something similar, but those top 25 classes in 2023, 2024 and 2025 were extremely top-heavy. Colorado needs to identify solid four-star prospects, develop them in Boulder, and then use the portal to address specific roster needs. Spending a large chunk of NIL on a single five-star and then relying on transfers to fill every other gap has not worked.
That approach must evolve in the coming years if Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes want sustained success.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado football’s lowest-ranked class adds pressure to Deion Sanders
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