Pac-12 Football

With a busy offseason ahead, the Colorado Buffaloes and head coach Deion Sanders landed one of the best players in the class of 2024, as 5-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton announced his commitment to the team on Thursday.

Seaton, the No. 1 offensive tackle in 247Sports' composite rankings, chose Colorado over Tennessee, Oregon, Alabama, Maryland, Florida, and Ohio State. He had revealed on Nov. 18 that he narrowed his list to seven finalists.

The addition of Seaton is a major boon to Sanders and his staff because the Buffs' 2024 class has been lacking a bit. Even accounting for his arrival, Colorado is 52nd in 247Sports' team rankings, which is good for 10th in the Big 12.

The early signing period opens Dec. 20, so there isn't a ton of time for Coach Prime to flip committed recruits or make a final sales pitch to those who have yet to make their decision.

The significance of Seaton's commitment goes without saying, though.

A 6'5", 287-pound bruiser from Washington, D.C. who transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for his senior season, Seaton made an immediate impression when he hit the high school level, earning an invitation to the FBU Freshman All-American Bowl.

On3.com's scouting and rankings team describes Seaton as a "polished offensive tackle who is one of the more battle-tested prospects at the position in the 2024 cycle."

"Technically sound and well-rounded from a skill perspective," the evaluation continued. "Looks ahead of the curve in pass protection. Flashes good reactive quickness. Understands pass rush plans and works to neutralize rushers. Uses his redirect skills to mirror and quick, strong hands to neutralize at the point of attack. Drops his weight and anchors on contact. Also shows some physicality and nastiness as a run blocker."

The fanbase will now be more eager to see what's next in Boulder.

More roster turnover was inevitable after the Buffs struggled to a 4-8 finish. Maybe Sanders and his staff will manage to land the kind of talent required to take a big leap forward in 2024.

Colorado and head coach Deion Sanders landed a major piece to help address their biggest issue this season.

Five-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton announced Thursday on Undisputed he has committed to the Buffs:

Seaton is the No. 1 tackle and 15th-best player overall in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2024 class.

Shedeur Sanders was sacked 52 times in 11 games to lead all FBS players. The constant pressure Shedeur faced week in and week out prompted his head coach to foreshadow significant changes to come for the offensive line.

Many wondered whether Colorado would be able to meaningfully address the O-line, though, even with the benefit of the transfer portal.

The concern was heightened by the fact the Buffaloes have lost some notable assistants already including co-offensive coordinator Sean Lewis and tight ends coach Tim Brewster.

Sanders said in November "there's not a day that goes by that kids aren't blowing our recruiting staff up," but that hadn't shown up yet in tangible commitments. If anything, Colorado was making more headlines for the players who were reversing course and decommitting.

Seaton's decision changes the narrative dramatically. Not only is he a player the Buffaloes desperately need, but he could also help to open the floodgates for more blue-chip recruits or experienced reinforcements through the transfer portal.

Colorado's slide following a 3-0 start certainly took some of the wind out of its sails, but Coach Prime questionably brought more buzz to the program than it has seen in years.

The Buffs likely remain more than one offseason away from challenging for a conference title after returning to the Big 12. Landing Seaton is the kind of thing Sanders and his staff need in order to take a big step forward, though.

Oregon and Oregon State are "finalizing" an agreement to reprise their Civil War rivalry game in "2024 and beyond" despite the two schools heading to different conferences next season, per reporter John Canzano.

Oregon, heading to the Big Ten, will face an Oregon State program set to play a Mountain-West-heavy schedule next season on Sept. 14 at Reser Stadium.

It isn't the only Pac-12 rivalry game set to be preserved.

The Apple Cup—played between Big Ten-bound Washington and a Washington State team that has remained attached to Oregon State and will play six Mountain West contests next season—has been extended through the 2028 campaign, per Canzano.

The Civil War has been contested since 1894 and the 127 meetings between the teams has only been topped or equaled in FBS history by Minnesota vs. Wisconsin (133 meetings, first contested in 1890), Auburn vs. Georgia (128 meetings, first contested in 1892), North Carolina vs. Virginia (128 meetings, first contested in 1892) and Cincinnati vs. Miami (Ohio), which dates back to 1888 and has been contested 127 times.

Oregon leads the all-time series, 68-49-10.

Keeping the Civil War intact, then, is preserving college football history, even with the Pac-12 dissolving after this season as teams head to the Big Ten (USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington), Big-12 (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State) and ACC (Cal, Stanford).

It will be strange seeing the game contested early in the season rather than the traditional rivalry slot later in the year. But with conference realignment happening at a feverish pace in the past year or so, it was unclear if many of these old rivalry matchups would be preserved.

At least two, the Civil War and Apple Cup, appear safe for now. And that's a good thing for college football.

Colorado star Travis Hunter took home the Paul Hornung Award on Wednesday.

The honor is reserved for the player deemed to be the most versatile in college football. Its namesake, Paul Hornung, famously excelled in a variety of roles at Notre Dame in the 1950s.

Hunter helped to revive the two-way archetype in 2023, lining up at wide receiver and defensive back for the Buffaloes. He caught 57 passes for 721 yards and five touchdowns to go along with 30 total tackles, three interceptions and eight pass breakups.

"Travis is a special player, a generational player, who has changed the game," head coach Deion Sanders said. "We had to find ways to utilize him to the best of his ability on both sides of the ball, where he could utilize his strengths and be a force. Thank you to the award committee for seeing in Travis what we do, not only that he's a tremendous player, but also a tremendous person. Travis hasn't reached his full potential as of yet and his best is still coming!"

Hunter's usage will be among the many subplots surrounding Colorado in 2024.

There's a reason two-way players have become exceedingly rare in the highest level of college football. The physical demands are simply so high that it's difficult to sustain over a full season.

A level of self-interest can be a play, too, depending on the player's aspirations. In Hunter's case, focusing his attention toward either offense or defense could be the best thing for his NFL draft stock.

Chris Gamble, who played at Ohio State from 2001-03, is among the notable two-way players from the modern era of college football. After splitting his time more evenly between receiver and cornerback as a sophomore, he became a full-time corner as a junior. That helped him become a first-round pick in the 2004 NFL draft.

Adoree' Jackson made the same calculus ahead of his junior season at USC in 2016 and reaped the benefits when he was a first-rounder in 2017.

As much fun as it was to watch Hunter in his first year with Colorado, he may decided to curtail his workload a bit when he suits back up for the Buffs.

After spending the 2023 season at Oregon State, quarterback DJ Uiagalelei reportedly could be on the verge of a return to the ACC.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, the two schools that have emerged as Uiagalelei's top suitors are Florida State and Louisville. Mississippi State has also shown some interest. He has one more year of eligibility left after spending his first three seasons at Clemson.

Thamel described Uiagalelei as "one of the top quarterbacks available" in the transfer portal this year. Despite the reported interest from those three schools, he has no visits scheduled at the moment.

In his lone season with the Beavers, Uiagalelei threw for a career-high 2,638 yards with 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions for a passer rating of 145.0. He also added six rushing touchdowns as he led Oregon State to an 8-4 record. The team lost to Oregon in the Pac-12 title game and will face Notre Dame in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 29.

A 5-star recruit in the class of 2020, Uiagalelei began his career as the backup to star quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He made waves when he threw for 439 yards and two touchdowns against Notre Dame in his second career start when Lawrence was sidelined with COVID-19.

When he took over as Clemson's full-time starter in 2021, Uiagalelei struggled to find consistency and threw 10 interceptions against just nine touchdowns that season. He had a better showing in 2022 but was benched during the ACC Championship game in favor of Cade Klubnik, which led to his decision to transfer to Oregon State.

Uiagalelei is an experienced starter with a 30-10 career record, so he will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the team with whom he chooses to end his collegiate career in 2024.

The Oregon Ducks had a Heisman Trophy finalist at quarterback in Bo Nix this season.

And they may already have their next signal-caller lined up.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported the expectation is Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel will visit Oregon in the near future. Thamel went as far as to call the Ducks the "favorite" to land the veteran playmaker from the transfer portal.

The 2024 season will be Gabriel's sixth at the college level.

He spent his first three seasons with UCF and was under center for the Sooners the past two years. He completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 3,660 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions for a 10-2 Oklahoma squad in 2023.

While the Sooners fell short of the Big 12 Championship Game, they still defeated rival Texas and won double-digit games.

It is not surprising Oregon is looking for a veteran quarterback in the portal after it found so much success with Nix. This was his fifth year in college and second year with the Ducks after he spent his first three seasons with the Auburn Tigers.

Nix led Oregon to the Pac-12 Championship Game and the doorstep of the College Football Playoff, but it lost to Washington just like it did in the regular season.

With Nix heading to the NFL draft, the Ducks will need to get the quarterback position right this offseason. After all, they are moving to the Big Ten in 2024 and face a daunting schedule that includes matchups against Boise State, UCLA, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Washington.

A 12-team College Football Playoff will provide more room for error, but Oregon's best chance at competing at a high level is with continued excellence under center.

And Gabriel could provide just that.

While Drake Maye has surely caught the eye of NFL teams and evaluators as the draft approaches, USC's Caleb Williams is still the top quarterback.

At least in the eyes of ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.

"Williams—assuming he enters the draft—is going to have his 2023 season picked apart for the next five months, but when you really study his tape, you'll see he was still tremendous," the draft evaluator said. "He is an outstanding talent, a passer who can do rare things when he's moving in and outside the pocket. Plus, the reality is Maye had some inconsistent games and didn't grab his chance to move up down the stretch. Williams is going to go wire to wire as my No. 1 QB."

Williams won the Heisman Trophy last season and had the Trojans on the doorstep of the College Football Playoff until they lost to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

This season was much more inconsistent, as USC went 7-5 overall with a 1-5 mark in its final six games. Much of that was because of a poor defense, but Williams had a downtick in his own numbers even though he still completed 68.6 percent of his passes for 3,633 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions.

The biggest question at this point is whether he will go No. 1 overall.

That might come down to whether the Chicago Bears, who own the Carolina Panthers' first-round selection via trade, decide to stick with Justin Fields or start over at the quarterback position. The Bears are currently positioned to pick first, although the Arizona Cardinals—who are slated at No. 3 in the current standings—could face a similar decision with Kyler Murray.

But Williams is well-positioned regardless of who chooses first to go early in the draft.

NFL talent evaluators continue to be high on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, according to ESPN's Matt Miller.

USC's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye have long been considered the top two passers in the 2024 NFL draft class. Miller said Sanders is his No. 3 quarterback on the board and that "many NFL scouts agree the Colorado quarterback is right below Williams and Maye."

It might be another year before Sanders is in play, though.

Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders said in November the plan was for sons Shedeur and Shilo to enter the NFL draft in 2025 rather than this spring. In an interview with USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer that published Monday, he gave the same impression when asked if his sons will return to school.

"I would think so," he said. "They're my sons. I would pray so. ... We do things as a family, and my sons respect the heck out of me and my decision-making and getting them to where they desire to go."

Shedeur threw for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 69.3 percent of his passes in his first year in Boulder. His draft stock rose significantly during Colorado's 3-0 start.

Being viewed as the third-best quarterback available would seemingly put Sanders at least in the first-round conversation, and that kind of opportunity will be difficult to turn down. The junior does have something to gain by finishing out his college career, though.

Another season in FBS will help Sanders refine his game, and perhaps he'll have an offensive line that offers him a consistently clean pocket. Him moving up to No. 1 in the 2025 draft class doesn't feel implausible.

Assuming Sanders spurns the NFL for now, LSU star Jayden Daniels could be the biggest beneficiary.

ESPN's Jordan Reid said Daniels is already his QB3 for 2024, which matches Bleacher Report's newest big board. The Heisman Trophy finalist threw for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions while running for 1,134 yards and 10 scores.

Removing Sanders from the equation would only help Daniels further solidify his position behind Williams and Maye.

It appears that the Sanders' family may be running it back with the Colorado Buffaloes next season.

All three of them.

Star quarterback Shedeur Sanders is eligible to enter the 2024 NFL Draft where he could be among one of the first quarterbacks taken off the board. His brother Shilo could also opt to turn pro.

But according to coach and father Deion Sanders, it appears that the two collegiate standouts are leaning towards returning to school in the fall instead of turning pro together—which will come in spring 2025.

It's a decision Deion and the rest of the family would be in line with.

"It's up to us," Deion said via USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer. "We do things as a family, and my sons respect the heck out of me and my decision-making and getting them to where they desire to go. … It's always been our dream that they're going into the draft together, and we didn't know how that would manifest itself with (the COVID-19 pandemic) and everything. It just so happened properly that they're going in the same draft at the conclusion of next season."

Much like the rest of the program, Shedeur's season started off quite strong as he led the team to a 3-0 record over the first few weeks. However, as the competition level heightened and he faced much stronger pass rush units, he began to struggle a bit and even dealt with injuries.

The 21-year-old even suffered a fracture in his back to end the season but is expected to be back with the Buffaloes by the spring.

It's led to Deion to pursue some "older quarterbacks" in the transfer portal as insurance in case Shedeur goes down in the future.

Also of interest is that Colorado recently had two quarterback recruits decommit from the program over the past couple weeks.

Shedeur still had a tremendous season, throwing for 3,230 yards to go along with 27 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also rushed for four more scores.

And considering the immense amount of duress he was under behind a porous offensive line—taking 52 sacks—those stats are all the more impressive.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said earlier in the year that Shedeur would be the No. 3 quarterback prospect in 2024 behind Caleb Williams and Drake Maye but that he'd be the early favorite for QB1 in 2025.

As for Shilo, he also had a standout season, recording 54 tackles, four forced fumbles, one interception and one pass break up.

The pair will obviously be huge building blocks as the Buffaloes attempt to build upon a decent first season under Deion.

The transfer portal opened for business on Monday, and Deion Sanders is looking to add experienced quarterbacks to back up starter Shedeur Sanders for Colorado in 2024, should the signal-caller return for another season.

"Right now, we're looking for older quarterbacks, because we plan on winning," Sanders said, according to Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today. "So if something were to happen to Shedeur, they could step right in and make it happen. That's what we're looking for."

The Buffaloes' head coach also specified that he's planning on adding multiple quarterbacks through the portal.

Despite the team's dismal 4-8 finish, Shedeur Sanders delivered an impressive first season at Colorado that generated quite a bit of NFL Draft buzz. He broke a school record with 3,230 passing yards, throwing for 27 touchdowns against three interceptions while completing 69.3 percent of his attempts.

Although Colorado's head coach has been vocal about his sons Shedeur and Shilo remaining in Boulder despite their opportunity to play on Sundays, he didn't confirm that they would be back when he told reporters "I think so" after being asked if they'd return.

"It's up to us," Sanders said, per Schrotenboer. "We do things as a family, and my sons respect the heck out of me and my decision-making and getting them to where they desire to go."

Shedeur ended up missing the Buffaloes' final game of the season due to a back injury after he left during the team's Week 12 matchup with Washington State after suffering separate arm and ankle injuries. He finished the season with 52 sacks taken, the most in the country. If the offensive line play doesn't improve in 2024, it appears that Deion is looking to add several viable backup options if his son is forced to miss time.

"We've already mapped out what we need in each position way before the season concluded," said Sanders, via Schrontenboer.