BOULDER – There has been a lot of hysteria in the local and national media about the University of Colorado football team’s recruiting efforts in recent weeks.
Is the ship really sinking after just one year that included losing seven of eight games to end the year? There have been multiple decommitments in recent weeks, is it time to panic? Or is this just the natural ebb and flow of an offseason mixed with the ramifications of having a polarizing coach like Coach Prime?
The reality is this time of year is ripe with player and coaching movements and almost every team is losing and gaining different commitments in this period of fluidity. With the new era of name, image, and likeness (NIL), player movement is becoming more common leading up to the December signing day. Some schools are going to make a full-court press and at times offer larger financial packages to attempt to lure recruits away from other schools.
That being said, let’s take a look at the current status of the Buffs’ high school recruiting and recap what has happened over the last few weeks.
First off, the Decommits:
Talan Chandler: a projected offensive center in college from Nevada High School in Nevada, Missouri. Chandler is ranked as the 944th overall player and the 70th-best interior lineman in the 2024 recruiting class according to 247sports.com’s composite ranking system, which uses a combination of all of the major recruiting services rankings. Chandler decommitted from Colorado and immediately committed in-state to the University of Missouri. This occurred in the weeks after offensive line struggles and questions surrounding whether offensive line coach Bill O’Boyle would remain on staff after this season, which makes Chandler’s decision to stay closer to home unsurprising.
Danny O’Neil: a Quarterback from Indianapolis, Indiana. He is listed at 6-foot, 185 pounds. and is ranked as the 658th-best overall player and 40th QB in the composite rankings and had been committed to the Buffs since March. After his decommitment, it has been reported that Northwestern is showing interest, and he could potentially look at San Diego State where former CU offensive coordinator Sean Lewis was just named head coach. O’Neil would have been a good candidate for a successor for Shedeur Sanders after sitting for a season, but similar to Chandler, finding a similarly ranked QB shouldn’t be the biggest hurdle for CU to overcome this offseason.
Antwan Hill: a massive 6-foot-5, 215-pound QB who is still currently a junior at Houston County High School in Georgia. He is rated as the fifth-best QB in his class and 59th-best player overall in 2025. This loss definitely stings as Hill was among the highest-rated players in next year’s recruiting class and would be a fantastic addition. Hill has stated that he had actually intended to reclassify and graduate early so that he could learn underneath Sanders for a season before taking over the reins as the starting QB. However, it appears that something has gone astray and that is no longer the plan. Hill has stated that the Buffs are not out of his recruiting picture though. “Colorado is still a top priority for me,” Hill told ESPN. It will be a fight for Hill’s signature for whoever ends up signing him all of the way to signing day next December.
Winston Watkins Jr: a shifty 5-foot-10, 170-pound wide receiver out of Naples, Florida. At one point he was rated a five-star recruit. Currently, he is a four-star as the 104th overall and 14th-best wide receiver in the 2025 class. Watkins was the first to commit to CU when Coach Prime accepted the head coaching position. In an interview with USAToday after his decommitment, Watkins said that he is still highly considering the Buffs, but said, “I don’t know if Prime will still be there when I get there.” One area the Buffs coaching staff has been strongest in when recruiting has been with wide receivers, so if Watkins doesn't end up signing with the Buffs next winter, they should be able to find a comparable receiver for the 2025 class.
Jamarice Wilder: a running back out of Venice High School in Florida. He is the final decommitment so far. Wilder is listed at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds with a composite ranking of 591st overall and 51st back in the 2025 recruiting class. This feels like another easily replaceable piece, especially with the transfer portal and the status of the running back room. Currently, 2025 three-star running backs shouldn’t be much of a concern for fans at this point.
Recent Commit:
Lost among the noise of the decommitments was a major pickup for the Buffs in Kamron Mikell who committed on Thanksgiving to the Buffs over Auburn, Georgia, and Louisiana State University among other top programs. The 6-foot-1, 181-pound Statesboro, Georgia native is one of the highest-rated recruits on the Buffs commitment list as the 104th-best player overall and sixth-best athlete in the 2024 class according to the composite rankings. Mikell is expected to potentially play both offense and defense, similar to current Buff superstar Travis Hunter, but will likely start on offense when he arrives in Boulder.
Targets to watch:
Jordan Seaton: a 6-foot-5, 260-pound. offensive tackle who is finishing his final year at IMG Academy in Florida. Seaton is ranked as the best offensive tackle and 15th-best overall player in the 2024 class. Seaton visited the Buffs on Nov. 4 to witness a 26-19 nail-biting loss to Oregon State. Colorado will fight to stay in this recruiting battle until Seaton signs with his chosen team.
Drelon Miller: a 6-foot, 190-pound wide receiver who recently decommitted from Texas A&M amongst their coaching change. The speedy native of Silsbee, Texas would be among the top high school prospects for the Buffs 2024 class as the 64th-best overall player and 14th-best wide receiver in the 2024 class. Miller is expected to be visiting Boulder this weekend.
KingJoseph Edwards: a 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive edge player out of Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, Georgia would be a massive addition to the Buffs defensive line as he is rated as the 28th-best edge player and a four-star recruit. Edwards is projected to join the Buffs commitment list in the near future with three recent “Crystal Ball” predictions from 247sports in favor of the Buffs.
JacQawn McRoy: a massive 6-foot-8 offensive tackle prospect from Clay-Chalkville High School in Pinson, Alabama. McRoy is listed as the 13th-best offensive tackle and 163rd-best overall prospect in 2024. He has been committed to the University of Oregon since July 1st of this year, however, he is expected to be in Boulder this weekend on an official visit with the Buffs. Needless to say, McRoy would be a massive addition to the Buffs roster in arguably the position that is needed for next season
Overview
Ultimately, recruiting high school and even transfer portal players can be a crapshoot in today’s college athletics landscape. November and December are not the times to panic or over-rejoice on the Buffs’ commitment list because there is still a ton of movement that is going to happen in the next couple of months. If things aren’t looking up by the end of the second signing period in February, then that might be a time for concern.
It has been said all along that this high school class will be smaller in numbers, so the average will be more important when analyzing this class and the Buffs’ rank among the top of the new Big-12 in raters per recruit.
At the end of the day Coach Prime is among the best in all college sports when it comes to recruiting and recruiting season is only getting started. This staff was able to put together quite an impressive class in just a few weeks last year, this year when it is all said and done the recruiting class could be even better.
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