Colorado Football Recruiting 2025: Top Remaining 2025 Recruits, Class Predictions

Though Colorado's 2024 campaign didn't end quite the way head coach Deion Sanders might have hoped, things continue to look up for the Buffaloes.

Colorado lost to BYU in the Alamo Bowl and missed out on a chance to play for the Big 12 title and make the College Football Playoff. Still, Colorado's final 9-4 record was the team's best mark since a 10-4 run in 2018 and represented a five-win improvement over the 2023 season.

This should help Colorado's recruiting tremendously heading into Wednesday's national signing day. So will the return of Sanders, who was briefly linked to the Dallas Cowboys but nothing materialized.

"To hear from [Cowboys franchise owner] Jerry Jones is truly delightful, and it's intriguing," Sanders said in January, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. "...But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team, the coaches, our student body and the community."

Colorado will have some reloading to do this offseason, as the team's two best players, quarterback Shedeur Sanders and receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, are headed to the NFL.

Let's dive into the Buffaloes' 2025 recruiting class and what may lie ahead in the coming days.

Sanders has brought plenty of buzz to Boulder, though he hasn't transformed the Buffaloes into a powerhouse—either on the field or the recruiting trail—just yet. Colorado's recruiting class currently ranks 37th in the nation, according to 247Sports.

This doesn't mean, however, that Colorado won't make strides in the Big 12 this season. Baylor, TCU and Kansas State are the only conference rivals with recruiting classes ranked higher than Colorado's. None of them rank inside the top 20.

As of now, Colorado has 14 hard commits, including 4-star quarterback Julian Lewis. The former Carrollton signal-caller figures to be the headliner of the Buffaloes' class and the heir apparent to Shedeur Sanders behind center.

"Lacks elite physical traits, but is an elite distributor of the football with his quick release and advanced mechanics that picked apart defenses in the Peach State's highest classification," Andrew Ivins of 247Sports wrote of Lewis.

Lewis was originally committed to USC, but Sanders successfully flipped him in November.

"Of course, it was big for me just coming in after Shedeur, just seeing what he's done to Colorado and what he's turned it into," Lewis told The Pat McAfee Show (h/t Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today). "It's definitely a blessing getting put into this position coming after him and his dad. I couldn't beat it."

While Lewis represents the future of Colorado's offense, he isn't the only noteworthy recruit in the school's class. 4-star linemen Chauncey Gooden and Carde Smith will further bolster the offense, along with 4-star receivers Quanell Farrakhan Jr. and Adrian Wilson.

4-star edge-rusher London Merritt should be a future headliner on defense.

Would the Buffaloes prefer to have Sanders and Hunter back for another run? Sure, but they have enough incoming talent to remain relevant in 2025, and there's a chance that Coach Prime isn't finished adding recruits to his class.

Most of the nation's top recruits committed during the early signing period, which ran from December 4 to December 6. Of the top 125 players listed on 247Sports' composite rankings, only 4-star lineman Ty Haywood and 4-star edge-rusher Zahir Mathis are uncommitted and are expected to sign this week.

4-Star cornerback J'Vari Flowers recently reclassified to 2025 but is not expected to commit until after national signing day, according to John Garcia Jr. of Rivals.

Both Haywood and Mathis received offers from Colorado, though it feels unlikely that either will end up with the Buffaloes. According to 247Sports' recruiting timelines, neither player made official visits to Boulder.

Mathis' most recent visits were with Maryland and Florida State, while Haywood recently visited with Michigan. Haywood was previously committed to Alabama but decommited in January, though, so Colorado could, theoretically, make a late push.

The prediction here, though, is that Sanders doesn't land any more top high school recruits during the 2025 cycle, choosing instead to chase talented transfers—like recent addition, Texas A&M transfer and offensive lineman Aki Ogunbiyi.

"Coach Prime told me the only high school players that he recruits are those real dogs that are ready to play at the next level and serious about their path like myself," 2026 linebacker recruit Tyler Atkinson said, per Sean Deveney of Athlon Sports. "Otherwise, he is recruiting in the portal.

Don't expect Colorado's class to suddenly jump those of blue-chip programs like Miami, LSU or Michigan. However, fans shouldn't expect the Buffalo's to lose any top recruits either.

A top-40 class feels likely, which is impressive, considering this is only Sanders' third year with the program.

1. Texas

2. Georgia

3. Ohio State

4. Alabama

5. Oregon

6. Auburn

7. Michigan

8. Florida

9. Texas A&M

10. LSU

11. Tennessee

12. Notre Dame

13. Miami

14. USC

15. Penn State

16. Mississippi

17. Oklahoma

18. South Carolina

19. Florida State

20. Missouri

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*via 247Sports