Colorado's momentum could benefit the Buffaloes on the recruiting trail

Colorado took the college football world by storm on Saturday afternoon, as the Buffaloes began their new era of football under Deion Sanders with a remarkable 45-42 win on the road against TCU.

Behind heroic efforts from Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, Colorado took the spotlight and delivered in a big way. Now, the Buffs will look to carry their momentum into the rest of the 2023 season, but also look to extend that hype into some big-time wins on the recruiting trail.

Deion Sanders finished the 2023 recruiting cycle on a high note, pulling Colorado’s class all the way up to No. 35 in the nation, per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking — its highest-ranked class since 2017. Headlined by top-20 prospect Lakeland (Fla.) five-star cornerback Cormani McClain, recruits from around the country began to buy in.

Now with a statement victory in-hand, Sanders and his staff have a major opportunity to try and capitalize on the hype that’s building in Boulder. On the latest edition of The Inside Scoop, On3’s national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman broke down what the next few months could look like for Colorado and just how big last weekend’s victory could be in the long run.

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Time to look at Colorado “in a completely different light”

“As one college source told me yesterday as the games got underway, this is the second part of the recruiting calendar and it’s time to see how these teams fare on game day. What Deion Sanders and Colorado did was not only beat a College Football Playoff contender from last year, they did it with high-flying offense and their best players shined in the biggest moments,” Spiegelman said.

Colorado’s 2024 class currently consists of just eight commits and is No. 60 in the nation. Calabasas (Calif.) four-star athlete Aaron Butler is the highest-ranked pledge, checking in as the No. 101 player in the cycle, per the On3 Industry Ranking.

Sanders made it no secret that he’s an advocate of using the transfer portal, but that won’t stop high-profile prospects from becoming much more interested, especially given the early success for Shedeur Sanders and Hunter.

“We already know he and his staff can recruit at a very high level, we are now talking about Colorado recruiting at a major national level, because the proof is now in the pudding on the field,” Spiegelman said. “If you’re a quarterback or a skill position player, you’ve got to be looking at Colorado in a completely different light as the season continues.”

“You’re seeing how creative he is with Travis Hunter,” he continued. “That’s what elite recruits want to hear, they want to hear that they’re going to be on the field for as many snaps as they can to help their team win. That’s basic.”

4-star Georgia DB could become first domino to fall

Statesboro (Ga.) four-star cornerback Kam Mikell was set to visit Kentucky this weekend, but now the blue-chip DB is headed to Boulder to watch the Buffaloes take on Nebraska. Mikell, the No. 129 prospect and No. 17 CB in the 2024 class, is being targeted by the likes of Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, but it could be Colorado that winds up the driver’s seat with a big impression on Saturday.

The hype could also extend into the Buffs’ 2025 class, which already features Fort Myers (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star WR Winston Watkins Jr, the No. 50 player in the cycle. The time for switching gears to the next cycle is rapidly approaching, meaning Colorado could be peaking at the right time.

Finding the next QB of the future in Boulder could be at the top of the list, especially if Shedeur Sanders plays his way into a professional career. Of the top 15 signal-callers in the ’25 cycle, 10 are still on the board. Indianapolis Cathedral three-star QB Danny O’Neil has already pledged as a member of the 2024 class.

“It’s only September, but next month and November, we’re going to start talking about these elite 2025 quarterbacks starting to come off the board,” Spiegelman said. “This is how the story goes in this era of recruiting. QBs come off the board first and Colorado’s fast start behind Shedeur Sanders is sure to catch the attention of these 2025 signal-callers. I expect a lot more visits coming up to Boulder to see this offense in person.”