Colorado skyrockets in On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings with midnight commitments

Four midnight commitments to cap Thanksgiving Day launched Colorado up the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, moving 19 spots from No. 49 to No. 30.

On Nightcap wth Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, four 2025 prospects announced their commitments to the Buffaloes: Mobile (Ala.) Williamson four-star offensive tackle Carde Smith, four-star IMG Academy EDGE London Merritt, IMG Academy three-star EDGE Alexander McPherson and Fort Worth (Texas) North Crowley three-star wide receiver Quentin Gibson.

Smith, Merritt and McPherson had each previously been committed to other programs. Smith decommitted from USC on Nov. 20, Merritt dropped Ohio State on Nov. 26 and McPherson backed off of Oklahoma State on the same day.

The On3 Industry Ranking is a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. In that ranking — Smith Merritt, McPherson and Gibson rank Nos. 228, 260, 865 and 1,164, respectively.

With the addition of those four recruits, Colorado is now up to 15 commitments in its 2025 recruiting class. Most notably, the Buffaloes made a huge splash by landing Carrollton (Ga.) elite four-star quarterback Julian Lewis on Nov. 21 — days after he decommitted from Southern Cal.

Lewis is the nation’s No. 39 overall prospect and No. 6 quarterback.

Alongside Lewis, Smith and Merritt — three other blue-chip prospects are committed to the Buffs: Pflugerville (Texas) Weiss four-star receiver Adrian Wilson, Houston North Shore four-star wideout Quanell Farrakhan Jr. and Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy four-star interior offensive lineman Chauncey Gooden.