This is the debut of the BuffsBlog.com DEFENSIVE RECRUITING BOARD. The offensive recruiting board can be found at:
If you’re having a hard time making out the general shape of Colorado’s 2025/26 class, this should catch you up. We are still very early in the class, so take the “So You’re Saying There’s a Chance” column with many grains of salt. At this early stage, this is best used to get a stance on early offers and potential early interested players.
Another note: insiders believe that Colorado’s 2025/26 recruiting class will look more traditional than any other Deion Sanders recruiting class to date at Colorado. In other words, look for fewer transfers and more high school recruits. The exact mix is obviously going to be determined, but it wouldn’t surprise if CU takes 20+ high school recruits this next class.
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If you really want to know how things stand, Colorado fans are blessed with an incredible set of insiders at 247 and Rivals. I recommend them.
So, let’s jump in:
EDGE
Last year, Colorado reeled in 4 star edge London Merritt, who is already drawing whispers that he may be a difference maker this upcoming season. The Buffs landed Alexander McPherson as well, but McPherson is probably a 3-technique defensive lineman as opposed to an edge. Expect Colorado to land at least two edge players in the 2025/26 class, with Jake Kruel (great name for an edge) and Shaun Scott as two initial players to watch.
| Name | Ranking | Hometown | Notes | Committed | So you’re saying there’s a chance |
| Tyler Atkinson | 4+ stars | Logansville, GA | Leans Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon | Probably not | |
| Jake Kreul | 4 stars | Bradenton, FL | Stay tuned… | ||
| Tristian Givens | 4 stars | Columbus, GA | Leans Florida State | Probably not | |
| Kevin Ford Jr. | 4 stars | Duncanville, TX | Probably not | ||
| Cam Brooks | 4 stars | Thomasville, GA | Cut list to 8 schools, didn’t include CU | Probably not | |
| Colton Yarbrough | 4 stars | Durant, OK | Committed to Arkansas | No | |
| Shaun Scott | 4 stars | Santa Ana, CA | Stay tuned… | ||
| Tristan Lyles | 3 stars | Phenix City, AL | Stay tuned… | ||
| Daniel Norman | 3 stars | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Stay tuned… |
DEFENSIVE LINE
With an increased emphasis on high school recruiting, expect Colorado to add at least 2 defensive linemen. A couple of names to keep on your radar are Christopher Knouls, “TI” Umu-Cais out of Cherry Creek, and big man Manoah Faupusa. In the 2024-25 class, Colorado landed Alexander McPherson and Christian Hudson.
| Name | Ranking | Hometown | Notes | Committed | So you’re saying there’s a chance |
| Lamar Brown | 4+ stars | Erwinville, LA | Leans LSU | Probably not | |
| Vodney Cleveland | 4 stars | Birmingham, AL | Leans Alabama and Auburn | Probably not | |
| Bryce Perry-Wright | 4 stars | Buford, GA | Probably not | ||
| Tomuhini Topui | 4 stars | Santa Ana, CA | Committed to Oregon | No | |
| James Carrington | 4 stars | Las Vegas, NV | Probably n ot | ||
| Darryus McKinley | 4 stars | Lafayette, LA | Leans LSU | Probably not | |
| James Johnson | 4 stars | North Ft. Meyers, FL | Stay tuned… | ||
| Titan Davis | 4 stars | St. Louis, MO | Probably not | ||
| Tufaua Ionatana-(“TI”) Umu Cais | 3 stars | Denver, CO | Stay tuned… | ||
| Preston Carey | 4 stars | Brandenton, FL | Probably not | ||
| Manoah Faupusa | 3 stars | San Francisco, CA | Stay tuned… | ||
| James Morrow | 3 stars | Buford, GA | Probably not | ||
| Christopher Knauls | 3 stars | Frisco, TX | Stay tuned…. |
LINEBACKERS
Colorado landed just one linebacker in the 2024-25 class with Mantrez Walker committing out of Buford, Georgia. Expect Colorado to add at least two linebackers in this year’s class. Names to watch out for include Manny Lewis (son of defensive line coach Damione Lewis) and Jamarion Phillips.
| Name | Ranking | Hometown | Notes | Committed | So you’re saying there’s a chance |
| Anthony Jones | 4+ stars | Mobile, AL | Leans Alabama and Auburn | Probably not | |
| Simeon Caldwell | 4 stars | Jacksonville, FL | Probably not | ||
| JaMichael Garrett | 4 stars | Auburn, AL | Committed to Auburn | No | |
| Samu Moala | 4 stars | Lawndale, CA | Committed to Texas A&M | No | |
| Anthony Davis | 4 stars | Loganville, GA | Leans Auburn | Probably not | |
| Dennis King III | 3 stars | Daytona Beach, CA | Stay tuned… | ||
| Manny Lewis | 3 stars | Waxhaw, NC | Stay tuned… | ||
| Jamarion Phillips | 3 stars | Dallas, TX | Stay tuned… | ||
| Jayden McClure | 3 stars | Mount Pleasant, TN | Stay tuned… | ||
| Maurice Barnes | 3 stars | Harrisburg, PA | Leans Penn State | Probably not | |
| CJ Sibley | 3 stars | Buford, GA | Probably not | ||
| Ryan Mallory | 3 stars | Richmond, TX | Stay tuned… | ||
| Adam Balogoun-Ali | 4 stars | West Palm Beach, FL | Stay tuned… | ||
| Rodney Colton Jr. | 4 stars | Newnan, GA | Leans Tennessee | Probably not | |
| JJ Bush | 3 stars | Theodore, AL | Stay tuned… |
CORNERBACKS
If we’ve learned anything during the Deion Sanders era at Colorado, it’s that the secondary will always be strong. There were 0 corner commits in the 2024-25 class, so this is a position that we could realistically see 3 or 4 or so high school commits int his upcoming class. The good news is that corners are interested in playing at Colorado, and initial interested names include Joey Thomas III, Therman Williams, Chauncey Kennon, Jermiyah Douglas, and Hayward Howard Jr.
| Name | Ranking | Hometown | Notes | Committed | So you’re saying there’s a chance |
| Chauncey Kennon | 4+ stars | Sarasota, FL | Stay tuned… | ||
| RJ Sermons | 4 stars | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | Committed to USC | No | |
| Dorian Barney | 4 stars | Carrollton, GA | Leans Texas A&M and Alabama | Probably not | |
| Zach Fort | 4 stars | Bradenton, FL | Probably not | ||
| Elbert Hill | 4 stars | Akron, OH | Leans Ohio State | Probably not | |
| Caden Harris | 4 stars | Brownsville, TN | Probably not | ||
| Camdin Portis | 4 stars | Charlotte, NC | Committed to Miami (yes, that Miami) | No | |
| Jaelen Waters | 4 stars | Seffner, FL | Committed to Florida | No | |
| Amari Jones | 3 stars | Bradenton, FL | Probably not | ||
| Joey Thomas III | 3 stars | Burien, WA | Stay tuned… | ||
| Ksani Jiles | 3 stars | Bradenton, FL | Leans Miami (yes, that Miami) | Probably not | |
| Justin Lewis | 3 stars | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | Committed to North Carolina | No | |
| CJ Lavender | 3 stars | Santa Ana, CA | Probably not | ||
| Jayden Crowder | 3 stars | Rancho Santa Margarita, CA | Committed to Cal | No | |
| Therman Williams | 3 stars | Corona, CA | Stay tuned… | ||
| Jermiyah Douglas | 3 stars | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Stay tuned… | ||
| Dominic Turnbull | 3 stars | Miami, FL | Leans Michigan | Probably not | |
| Hayward Hoawrd Jr. | 3 stars | New Orleans, LA | Stay tuned… | ||
| Djimon McLendon | 3 stars | Tucker, GA | Stay tuned… | ||
| Donovan Webb | 3 stars | Frisco, TX | Stay tuned… |
SAFETIES
With Antonio Branch Jr. the only safety commit in last year’s class, CU will look to add 2+ safety commits in this year’s class. Two names to watch are Djimon McLendon and Karaijus Hayes (who if he commits, God willing, would come to Boulder with one of the great all-time name).
| Name | Ranking | Hometown | Notes | Committed | So you’re saying there’s a chance |
| Blaine Bradford | 4 stars | Baton Rouge, LA | Leans LSU | Probably not | |
| Chace Calicut | 4 stars | Houston, TX | Leans Texas | Probably not | |
| Xavier Lherisse | 3 stars | Melbourne, FL | Probably not | ||
| Markel Ford | 3 stars | Mesquite, TX | Committed to Texas A&M | No | |
| Isaiah Williams | 3 stars | Missouri City, TX | Leans Texas | Probably not | |
| Wassie Lugolobi | 3 stars | Sammamish, WA | Committed to Washington | No | |
| Djimon McLendon | 3 stars | Tucker, GA | Stay tuned… | ||
| Enarri White | 3 stars | Roanoke Rapids, NC | Probably not | ||
| Karaijus Hayes | 3 stars | Sarasota, FL | Stay tuned… | ||
| Craig Tutt | 4 stars | Murfressboro, TN | Stay tuned… | ||
| Jett Washington | 4+ stars | Las Vegas, NV | Stay tuned… |
Athletes
Among the names to watch out for here include Jonah Winston (brother of Jameis Winston) and Hannibal Carter Navies (son of CU great Hannibal Navies).
| Name | Ranking | Hometown | Notes | Committed | So you’re saying there’s a chance |
| Brandon Arrington | 4+ stars | Spring Valley, CA | Leans Texas A&M | Probably not | |
| Kendre Harrison | 4+ stars | Reidsville, NC | Committed to Oregon | No | |
| Jabari Brady | 4 stars | Pompano Beach, FL | Probably not | ||
| Justice Fitzpatrick | 4 stars | Fourt Lauderdale, FL | Leans Miami | Probably not | |
| CJ Sadler | 4 stars | Detroit, MI | Leans Michigan | Probably not | |
| Aaron Gregory | 4 stars | Douglasville, GA | Committed to Texas A&M | No | |
| Samari Matthews | 4 stars | Cornelius, NC | Probably not | ||
| Jonah Winston | 3 stars | Hoover, AL | Stay tuned… | ||
| Madden Riordan | 3 stars | Chatsworth, CA | Committed to USC | No | |
| Shavar Young Jr. | 3 stars | Committed to Clemson | No | ||
| Ansu Sanoe | 3 stars | Lake Oswego, OR | Committed to Washington | No | |
| Jameson Powell | 3 stars | Folsom, CA | Committed to Old Miss | No | |
| Tay Lockett | 3 stars | San Diego, CA | Committed to Arkansas | No | |
| Allen Blaylock | 3 stars | Harbor City, CA | Stay tuned.. | ||
| Isaiah Ene | 3 stars | Granite Bay, CA | Committed to Sacrameton State | No | |
| Jerod Terry | 3 stars | Chatsworth, CA | Stay tuned… | ||
| Carmen Upshaw | 3 stars | Tallahassee, FL | Stay tuned… | ||
| Daylen Green | 3 stars | Quincey, FL | Stay tuned… | ||
| Hannibal Carter Navies | 3 stars | Buford, GA | Stay tuned… | ||
| Devonte Anderson | 3 stars | Winter Garden, FL | Probably not | ||
| Tyler Wortham | 3 stars | Sarasota, FL | Stay tuned… | ||
| Tristian Givens | 4 stars | Columbus, GA |
