While the Colorado football program is focused on the present, trying to stack days leading up to Week 2 against Weber State, the long-term future is starting to look bright.
With 17 Georgia natives on the roster, including quarterback Julian Lewis, the 14-13 road win over Georgia Tech left a solid impression on the area’s recruits. And for head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, who has been more intentional with his 2027 recruiting class, it fired up his current commits.
Of the 20 senior high school football stars who have given their word to CU, several of them posted reactions to the big, season-opening victory on social media. Sanders also mentioned the guys were in good spirits during his weekly Zoom call with them.
“Hats off to them because they're always present and they have questions and they were really hyped after the game,” Sander said of the 2027 commits, mentioning that at least one commit hasn’t been announced. “They were really awesome and they watched the game in its entirety. So I got love for them and some of them are really going to play a vital part in our success a season from now.”
Looking to ride that momentum, Sanders and his staff are having a big in-state visiting weekend on Sept. 12, welcoming over 70 in-state prospects to the Buffaloes’ Week 2 home opener against Weber State.
And with some out-of-state 2027 talent also set to show up, including a current commit, Colorado has five important names among Week 2’s visitors:
2027
(CU Commit) S - Gabe Jenkins (Imani Christian Academy - Pittsburgh, Pa.)
The 6-foot-2, 187-pound safety will be in Boulder after posting an insane season-opening stat line; Jenkins went for four touchdowns out of the Wildcat in Imani Christian Academy’s 48-28 win to start the season. He also laid some physical hits on the defensive side.
Having shown this talent for quite some time, though, Jenkins officially visited Boulder on May 15 before committing to CU five days later. Now the four-star recruit will be back on campus as the Buffs look to improve to 2-0. He holds a handful of other Power Four offers.
DL - Xavier Brooks (Laguna Beach High School - Laguna Beach, Calif.)
The 6-foot-1, 265-pound defensive lineman has zero stars and only one offer. However, his lone offer came from Colorado on Aug. 21, and Brooks has made an impact in three games this season. He already has 25 tackles, four tackles for a loss and two sacks (four QB hurries).
A year ago, he had 50 tackles (18 for loss) and 13.0 sacks (35 QB hurries).
While Brooks looks to continue his production, CU will pursue his commitment as the lone program interested in the talented DL, having him on campus for Week 2.
2028
QB - Theo Lee (Arapahoe High School - Littleton, Colo.)
After a heartbreaking season-opening shootout against Mountain Vista High, losing 43-39 (16-for-28, 317 passing yards, four TDs, one INT), Lee went ballistic in Week 2, posting seven passing touchdowns in a 58-14 win (26-of-34, 332 passing yards, one INT).
The 6-foot-5, 235-pound in-state QB picked up steam with the Buffs in June, leading his team to a 7-on-7 championship in front of CU’s staff before picking up an offer on the 17th. He’ll be back in Boulder for Week 2 with Colorado as his highest-level offer.
OL - Colton Ott (Fairview High School - Boulder, Colo.)
Standing 6-foot-4.5 and 310 pounds, Ott is effective in both the run and pass game, which is why he holds numerous Power Four offers, including Colorado (June 19, 2025). Georgia Tech, Kansas and Kansas State have offered the three-star lineman.
While Fairview is 1-1 to start the year, Ott has added to his impressive tape. He continues to push the opposing lines back while also playing some defensive line.
Ott will make the short drive from South Boulder to Folsom this Saturday.
2029
ATH/DL - Jayden Bates (Cherry Creek High School - Englewood, Colo.)
Though only a sophomore, Bates stands 6-foot-5, weighs 230 pounds and is entering his second season of varsity reps for one of the state’s top schools. Bates currently holds a four-star prospect rating and has posted 15 tackles through two games.
While he doesn’t hold an offer from the Black-and-Gold yet, other Power Four schools such as Wisconsin, Georgia Tech and Auburn have offered Bates. Colorado State has also offered him.
Yet, CU will have the young edge rusher at Folsom Field on Saturday.
Coaches Mentioned
Recruits Mentioned
