CU’s 2027 Defensive Back Commits — Plus News and Notes Before Georgia Tech

Greetings from Cabo San Lucas, where Ms. Buffsblog and I are definitely not, under any circumstances, using FindMy on our iphones to track our two children that are off to college. Nope.

So today, to take our minds off the fact that we’re now, officially, empty nesters, we’re going to talk about what I’m hearing in the CU grapevine about the football team in advance of Thursday’s kickoff against Georgia Tech. Then, we’ll briefly talk about SportsDeck because it’s my blog and I want to, and we’ll conclude with an in-depth look at CU’s defensive back commits for the 2027 class.

If you didn’t check out last week’s post about the offensive commits in Colorado’s 2027 recruiting class, check it out. It’s worth your time.

And now, grab a stiff drink and let’s dive in.

CU News and Notes

A couple of nuggets before Thursday’s game (while I’ve been able to watch a couple of practices in person, these notes are coming from folks close to the program and are NOT my practice observations):

–On defense, two of the most impressive players have been LB Gideon Lampron and LB Tyler Martinez. Both should have strong seasons. Texas transfer Liona Lefau is a half-step behind Lampron and Martinez, but he may start against Georgia Tech as Georgia Tech’s run heavy lineup means that CU will play a lot of 3 linebackers sets. Against traditional spread teams, expect to see CU play with 2 linebackers and 5+ defensive backs.

–The 4 defensive backs that will take the field for the first snap of the game against Georgia Tech will be Notre Dame transfer cornerback Cree Thomas, Tennessee transfer cornerback Boo Carter, Vanderbilt transfer safety Randon Fontennete, and New Mexico State transfer safety Naeten Mitchell. I expect Maraki Vickers to get a lot of run at corner as well.

–I remain worried about CU’s defensive tackles, particularly against strong run teams like Georgia Tech. Santana Hopper has been impressive this fall, but I still have concerns about whether a 265 pound defensive tackle can withstand 4 quarters of a “Power 4″ run game. The other starting tackle should be 5’10” (if he’s standing on his tip toes) 290-pounder Tyler Moore. I think CU will really (really) miss not having Ezra Christensen. Expect to see a lot of rotation at defensive tackle. Some good news here, however, is that the buzz about CU DL coach Dante Carter is very positive. I’ve had several sources tell me that that he is likely to be an upgrade over former DL coach Domato Peko.

–I expect North Dakota State transfer defensive end Toby Anene to be CU’s best defensive end, at least until Balansama Kamara is healthy. CU needs Anene to have a huge year.

–I’m a little more bullish about the offense than the defense. Brennan Marion’s Go-Go offense has been successful everywhere he’s been, and I expect CU to be able to move the ball consistently this season.

CU kicks off the season at 6 pm mountain time against Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

–CU’s offensive line could be one of the top 5 offensive lines in the Big 12. In a surprise to some inside the Champion’s Center, Jayvon McFadden has been absolutely stellar this fall (“he may be our best lineman”), and will start at guard opposite (presumably) Chauncey Gooden. Gooden and McFadden gives CU two stout run blockers at guard. I expect Bo Hughley and Larry Johnson III to start at tackle, and in a surprise to some, for Sean Kinney to start at center over Houston transfer Demetrius Hunter.

–DeKalon Taylor will be CU’s leading rusher this fall. He’s been CU’s best running back in fall camp. Still, CU will rotate backs heavily and Micah Welch an Damian Henderson will play a lot, too.

–Danny Scudero is back practicing with the team after returning from injury, which is great news. He is a team leader, a dynamic player and should, if healthy, be CU’s leading receiver this season. DeAndre Moore, Joseph Williams, and Ernest Campbell have also played well this fall. CU should easily have a top 3 WR room in the Big 12 this season if key players are healthy.

–Vegas predicts CU to win 4.5 games this fall. If you think Juju Lewis is one of the top 8 QBs in the Big 12, pound the over. If you think he’s one of the bottom 8 QBs in the Big 12, it’s going to be hard for CU to get to 5 wins. Most folks I talk to think he’s going to be “pretty dang good,” which is why I predict CU to hit the over and finish the season 6-6. For the record, I have Thursday night’s game as a probable loss.

Tell Me About SportsDeck, John

Over the last 6 months or so I created SportsDeck. Here’s how it works:

You tell the app which teams you follow (there are 3,230 teams on SportsDeck across 48 sports leagues) and which streaming and TV services you already pay for. SportsDeck tells you every game your teams play, what time it starts, what channel or app it’s on, and whether you can actually watch it with what you’ve got.

It can even show you whether there’s a cheaper way to watch more of your teams’ games.

Then it does the part I’m proudest of: it brings together your teams’’ news, podcasts, YouTube videos, and trusted local coverage in one place—like the old sports page you miss, rebuilt for today’s world. SportsDeck has 454 of these pages, and I built and now curate the whole operation.

You can also get a morning email with your games, viewing information, and biggest team stories before your coffee. There are game alerts and an iPhone widget, too.

Seriously, I think the app kicks ass. Check it out.

It’s free. You get a month of everything to start, and you can continue following three teams free forever.

Get it at the App Store at: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sportsdeck/id6782425279
Or get it on the web at: https://mysportsdeck.com

Now for the personal part: there is no marketing department for a “labor of love” app. This post is the entire budget. So I’m asking a couple of favors: share this post with your friends and download the app and use it for a week. If it saves you even one “Wait, what channel is this game on?” argument (or if you love having your teams’ coverage and news / YouTube videos / podcasts together in one place), please leave a review on the App Store. Reviews are the whole ballgame for an app nobody has heard of. Maybe even subscribe and “go pro.” I think it’s awesome. And I’d really, really appreciate it.

FYI, on my SportsDeck I follow the Denver sports teams (Broncos, Avs, Nuggets, Summit, Rapids), Tottenham, F1 racing, MMA events, major sports league drafts, soccer rivalry games, top 25 college football matchups, the Nebraska Corndogs (to hate watch, of course), CSU and UNC football, and all of CU’s and Michigan’s sports teams (football, basketball volleyball, soccer, etc.). For CU fans, it’s a great way to discover “oh, hey, the CU volleyball team is on ESPN+ tonight” and give you something to watch that’s more uplifting than your favorite news channel screaming at you about how the world is going to end for 2.5 hours.

Anyway, thanks for your much needed support. I really, really appreciate it.

And now back to our regularly scheduled coverage.

CU’s 2027 Defensive Back Recruits

The Safeties

Gabe Jenkins — 4-Star Safety, Imani Christian Academy (Pittsburgh, PA)

The Vitals: 6-2, 187 lbs. 247Sports: 90 rating, No. 24 safety, No. 10 in Pennsylvania. Four stars. Committed May 20, 2026.

Start here, because this is the best story in the class.

Jenkins was committed to Penn State. Then coach James Franklin was fired from Penn State in January and Penn State’s assistant director of recruiting, Rashad Rich, found himself out of a job. Rich was quickly scooped up by Deion Sanders, and CU then promptly offered Jenkins. Jenkins commited to CU in May after visiting several college football powerhouses including Georgia and Michigan.

Read that sequence again. The coach changed jobs in January and the four-star followed him in May. Colorado, Penn State and Pitt all hosted him on official visits; he picked the Buffs over Penn State, Michigan and Georgia.

“Coming from Pittsburgh, you’re going to experience something new. Colorado is different. You got the mountains, got the snow in the background. It is a great place for me. They were willing to invest in my family, and the feeling out there was great.”

–Gabe Jenkins

He was a star as a sophomore for a top-ranked Imani Christian team in Pennsylvania Class 3A, and last fall he was half of what the Pittsburgh Union Progress called a “potent one-two punch” with David Davis. Davis is a 4-star CB that has committed to North Carolina and head coach / middle aged lothario Bill Belichek.  

At 90, he carries the highest 247 rating of any defender in this class.

DB Samari Howard projects as a free safety and happens to play for one of the best high school teams in the country.

Samari Howard — 3-Star Safety, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

The Vitals: 5-11.5, 175 lbs. 247Sports: 87 rating, No. 75 safety, No. 75 in Florida. Three stars. Committed June 7, 2026.

Howard plays at St. Thomas Aquinas, which is roughly the Alabama of American high school football. The offer sheet is the story: Texas A&M, Florida State, Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon all offered. Colorado offered in January 2025 — more than a year before he committed — and then simply outlasted everybody.

As a junior: 34 tackles, four interceptions and three pass breakups in 14 games. Four picks from a safety at a program that plays a national schedule is a real number.

St. Thomas Aquinas’ football team has the nation’s highest ranked OL (Texas A&M commit Mark Matthews), as well as 4 other high 4 star players. Howard, a 3-star safety, is one of about 20 national recruits on the team this season. This fall, Aquinas aims for its 8th consecutive Florida state title.

The Cornerbacks

Davon Dericho — 3-Star Cornerback, Miami Killian (Miami, FL)

The Vitals: 5-9, 165 lbs. 247Sports: 87 rating, No. 73 cornerback, No. 74 in Florida. Three stars. Committed February 12, 2026.

Dericho was one of the first players to commit to Deion Sanders in the 2026-27 class, back in February, when no one was writing stories about CU’s recruiting pivot (to actually, you know, recruit high school players). His reasoning: “It’s Deion Sanders. He’s the best to do it.”

As a junior, in ten games: 34 tackles with nine for loss, seven pass breakups, five sacks, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and a recovery. His five sacks shows you that the staff believes he will be physical enough to play in the Big 12 despite his small stature.

Track: 11.10 in the 100, 23.94 in the 200, and a leg on a 4×100 that qualified for the state meet as a junior. In Florida, against Florida sprinters. These are strong times, and will make him one of the faster players on the team.

Dericho picked CU over offers from Florida State, Indiana, Louisville, Maryland and Pittsburgh. At 5-9 everyone projects him inside to nickel — which, given what he did in the backfield last fall, appears to be the entire point. His lack of size shouldn’t be a big issue in the slot.

Utah CB Will Rasmussen picked the Buffs over offers including Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

Will Rasmussen — 3-Star Cornerback, Orem (Orem, UT)

The Vitals: 5-10, 180 lbs. 247Sports: 85 rating, No. 164 cornerback, No. 27 in Utah. Three stars. Committed May 20, 2026.

The lone Mountain West kid in a class built out of Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas. His recruitment moved quickly. Colorado offered. Two weeks later he was committed, days after getting home from his official visit. He was the third commitment Colorado landed in a 36-hour stretch, alongside 3.5 star LB Ba’Roc Willis and 4 star S Gabe Jenkins.

Rasmussen chose the Buffs over offers from Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Washington and Hawaii. Why CU? “Coach Prime. Something you can’t get anywhere else.”

A multi-state athlete, Rasmussen (also a running back in addition to DB at Orem High School) played basketball and ran track in high school. Orem High School’s basketball team was ranked among the top 50 teams nationally last season, and Rasmussen played year-round club basketball. Since he hasn’t played as much football as others in his class, I think he may have more upside than his rankings suggest.

Prince Washington — 3-Star Cornerback, Houston Lamar (Houston, TX)

The Vitals: 6-0, 180 lbs. 247Sports: 84 rating, No. 158 cornerback, No. 230 in Texas. Committed May 24, 2026.

Cornerbacks coach Aaron Fletcher offered Washington on May 13 and had a commitment inside of two weeks. Ten schools offered; the finalists were Colorado, Houston and North Texas — and Colorado beat both in-state programs on their own turf.

His counting stats are the modest ones here: 25 tackles, two interceptions and 10 passes defended across two seasons, per MaxPreps. That’s partly a compliment — corners nobody throws at don’t put up numbers. Track: 11.20 in the 100 as a junior, per MileSplit. He also plays receiver at Lamar.