​Colorado’s football program, led by head coach Deion Sanders, is assembling what could be his largest and strongest high school recruiting class to date. Over the past few months, 20 recruits have committed to join the Buffaloes in the 2027 class, a group that carries a collective ranking of No. 3 in the Big 12 Conference according to 247Sports. This 2027 cohort features the quarterback of the future and several top prospects from Mississippi. What stands out is not just the talent but the way Sanders has built this class, a method that diverges from the typical approaches used by many peers. USA TODAY Sports has obtained records that illustrate how Sanders is once again pushing past conventional norms to construct his team in his distinct fashion.
A striking part of the broader recruiting story is the approach to on-the-road recruiting. The university confirmed that none of Colorado’s assistant coaches or staff members traveled to recruit during the winter contact period in January. In contrast, Nebraska coach Matt Rhule conducted 373 off-campus recruiting contacts with high school players in January, each contact accompanied by one or more assistants. This contrast highlights Sanders’ atypical strategy, which relies less on traditional in-person, off-campus visits during that period.
Another notable element is Colorado’s heavy focus on Mississippi as a recruiting ground. Although Mississippi is not typically viewed as a primary pipeline for Buffaloes recruiting, the effort paid off. Offensive line coach Gunnar White conducted 376 recruiting evaluations in January, April, and May 2025, according to recruiting logs obtained by USA TODAY Sports. White’s Mississippi connections, rooted in his upbringing there, have yielded results with three commitments from the state thus far.
Colorado’s newly appointed offensive and defensive coordinators have conducted relatively few off-campus recruiting trips since their hirings—only one trip in total since December for coordinator roles. Nevertheless, that single visit proved significant. Offensive coordinator Brennan Marion traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, in April to visit high school quarterback Andre Adams, who subsequently committed to Colorado earlier that month.
Sanders has again avoided off-campus recruiting trips this year, a pattern previously documented by USA TODAY Sports. While this approach is unusual in college football, Sanders is not alone in steering recruits toward campus visits in Boulder instead of extensive roadwork. He communicates with recruits via FaceTime and emphasizes bringing prospects to the Boulder campus for firsthand evaluation, with many recruits visiting in May and June.
A new development in this recruiting class is that the recruits themselves are starting to recruit for the program. They are active in a group chat, urging additional commitments, and particularly advocating for Andre Adams. “There isn’t a guy in that class he hasn’t talked to and hasn’t been hands-on in recruiting,” Adams’ father and coach Kenny Adams told USA TODAY Sports. “He has a real relationship with these guys that he’s trying to lead as his class.” This peer-driven push reflects Sanders’ broader strategy of leveraging personal connections and creating a sense of collective momentum among the class.
Within college football, schools determine which staff members will recruit off-campus during designated periods. The NCAA allows major programs to designate up to 10 staff assistants to recruit off-campus at specific times of the year, in addition to the head coach. Typically, the designated recruiters are position coaches and coordinators who work closely with players throughout the season, often with an eye toward improving search engine optimization and visibility for the program. However, in Sanders’ case, the emphasis has been on a different cadence—favoring campus visits, direct communication via video calls, and leveraging the enthusiasm and input of the recruits themselves to sustain recruiting momentum.