Since his middle school days, Orem High (Orem, Utah) 2029 quarterback James Shumway has found himself in contact with college programs.
It started in his home state of Utah, with BYU and Utah hosting the young field general at games since 2023. His first offer came from Arizona in 2025, with UCLA following a few months later.
Yet, while Michigan, Oklahoma, Arizona State, Alabama and others have also welcomed Shumway on unofficial visits, Colorado was the school to give him his third offer on June 16. CU’s director of player personnel, Darius Darden-Box, has led the 6-foot-1, 175-pound QB’s recruitment.
“I was able to meet some of the coaches, and just the coaches were amazing,” Shumway told BuffStampede.com, having toured the facilities in March. “The campus itself was beautiful. Even the stadium with all the mountains overlooking. It was just a cool environment and an amazing experience. That would be a place that I'd love to play at.”
Seeing everything firsthand, Shumway also saw a “collective effort” from the staff in his recruitment. He noted that whichever school he lands on down the line will have to offer a strong coaching connection, individually and with the culture.
And when it comes to head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, Shumway recognizes the experience that goes into understanding and motivating his players.
“It’s [about] if they're good people and they have good morals, and they also can push you to work harder and help you succeed on and off the field,” Shumway said. “With the coaches at Colorado, I think they have very good morals. I think with Coach Prime, he pushes all the players to be like the best they can, and he raises expectations.”
With Shumway having met repeatedly with the staffs at the two other programs that have extended offers, the Buffs will be in for a challenge on the rising high school sophomore. But Colorado sits in a favorable location, possesses a fine business school for the near 4.0-GPA student that Shumway is and is working on its reputation for developing quarterbacks, putting up some intriguing drivers in its pitch.
Suiting up for Orem
Before Shumway looks too far ahead, he is focused on earning some varsity reps at his new school: the defending Utah 5A state champion Orem High Tigers. Coming from a smaller school – Mountain View High (Orem, Utah) – he joins a QB battle that will result in filling the shoes of incoming three-star Alabama freshman Tayden-Evan Kaawa. While Shumway fights for varsity reps against upperclassmen teammates, hoping to appear against top national squads, the young signal-caller expects to at least start for the junior varsity team.
“Being a leader is very important. You don't want a quarterback who just keeps to themselves and doesn't really help their other players become better,” Shumway said about what he’ll bring to the position battle. “I feel like you want a quarterback who takes control and is a leader. They push each other to work harder. And then you guys just keep working harder and harder and harder, and then the team gets better from there.”
Along with leadership, the 6-foot-1 QB looks to impress with his athleticism. While a talented passer, Shumway can improvise with his legs and offers versatility with accurate throws while rolling out.
And despite being young, he is training with the best of the best. Quarterback trainers Danny Hernandez and Jonathan Reyes both spend exclusive time with Shumway, hoping to add him to their impressive list of successful QBs. Hernandez worked with this year’s NFL No. 1 overall selection Fernando Mendoza among others, while Reyes frequently travels to Utah to train BYU starter Bear Bachmeier.
However the battle ends up, though, Shumway will consistently be seeing friend, teammate and 2027 Colorado commit Will Rasmussen. The three-star defensive back committed to CU on May 20 and may have some recruiting on his hands, having also played for the same 7-on-7 program as Shumway.
“I know Will Rasmussen really well,” Shumway said. “He's obviously a great player, and he's committed to Colorado, and I think he's going to make a huge difference out there.”
Coaches Mentioned
Recruits Mentioned
