Recruiting intel on Colorado transfer portal targets

Since Jan. 1, there have been 44 Colorado players to enter the NCAA transfer portal, including 40 in the last 11 days and 27 in the last three days alone since the conclusion of Buffaloes spring practice.

Now, following that significant purging and attrition, the focus for Deion Sanders and his staff will continue to be on filling those spots with new players via the NCAA transfer portal.

Colorado scored a nice win on Wednesday by landing Florida State EDGE transfer Derrick McLendon, who posted 37 tackles and 3.5 sacks as a starter for the Seminoles last season. The Buffaloes are in the mix for plenty of others, too. After talking with some sources, here are some other possibilities and targets as Colorado works toward replenishing its roster (players listed alphabetically):

Linebacker Brendan Gant (Florida State): Gant, a former teammate of McLendon at Florida State, tallied 112 total tackles the last four seasons at FSU. That includes 33 tackles last year. Gant visited Colorado last weekend. The Buffaloes appear to be solidly in contention for Gant.

Offensive guard Cam’Ron Johnson (Houston): Johnson, a 2022 first-team All-AAC selection, is set to visit Colorado this weekend along with former Cougars teammate Trevonte Sylvester, who was Houston’s backup left tackle last year. Johnson visited USC last weekend, but the Trojans have since landed coveted Wyoming guard Emmanuel Pregnon. Johnson has also visited Missouri, which recently hired former Houston offensive line coach Brandon Jones and may be tough to beat here because of the history and relationship with Jones.

Running back Alton McCaskill (Houston): McCaskill, the 2021 AAC Rookie of the Year, has become a top target for Colorado and numerous other teams since news broke of his impending departure from Houston Tuesday night. McCaskill missed last year due to a knee injury but tied for 10th nationally with 16 rushing touchdowns in 2021. I’m not ready to make a prediction as of yet on a landing spot for him. There are teams such as Texas A&M and Miami that could be worth keeping an eye on here, especially with A&M hiring McCaskill’s former Houston position coach, Marquel Blackwell, and Miami hiring Shannon Dawson from Houston as its new offensive coordinator.

Defensive lineman Ahmari McNeill (Tennessee): Colorado has been in contact and working to be a factor with McNeal, who entered the transfer portal April 21. McNeill played in six games for the Vols last season, finishing with three tackles.

EDGE Cam Robertson (North Texas): Colorado has seemingly continued to be a top contender for Robertson, who has also received offers from places such as Cincinnati, California, Indiana and SMU. A 2022 Conference USA All-Freshman team selection, the 6-foot-4, 238-pound Robertson recorded 15 tackles, three tackles for a loss and a sack in 14 games last season.

Cornerback Jahquez Robinson (Alabama): Robinson was another of the visitors at Colorado last weekend. The former four-star recruit played in six games for Alabama last season. The Buffaloes appear to solidly in the mix here.

EDGE Sav’ell Smalls (Washington): Colorado has been among the teams in pursuit of Smalls, a Class of 2020 five-star recruit. It sounds like the Buffaloes are working to get Smalls in for a visit, maybe even as soon as this weekend. Smalls, who was a reserve for Washington the last three years, played in 13 games last season and tallied 14 tackles.

Cornerback Marcus Washington (Georgia): Colorado has been in contact in Washington. He could maybe visit at some point in the coming weeks. Washington, a Class of 2022 four-star recruit, ranked as the 14th-best cornerback and 110th-best overall prospect in the 2022 recruiting class.