Class of 2024 WR ‘would have never sniffed’ Colorado without Deion Sanders

Class of 2024 4-star wideout Aaron Butler out of Calabasas would’ve never chosen the Colorado football program if Deion Sanders wasn’t there according to Mike Farrell of Mike Farrell Sports — who went as far as to say Butler “would have never sniffed” CU if not for Coach Prime.

“There is certainly more interest in the program with Deion there, and guys like WR Aaron Butler would never have sniffed at Colorado without him,” Farrell prefaced before saying, “But it’s a small (2024 recruiting class) because of how he overextended in the portal (in 2023).”

Farrell was grading the Buffaloes’ recruiting efforts since Sanders took over as head coach in December, giving Colorado football a B+, tied for the third-best grade of any new coach along with Auburn’s Hugh Freeze and behind the likes of Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell, Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, and Stanford’s Troy Taylor.

Aaron Butler sends a strong message on Colorado football visits: ‘The vibe there was crazy’

From the sounds of it, the 2024 Colorado football commit Butler is a big fan of what he sees in Boulder during Coach Prime’s workouts and practices. Butler praised Sanders for the culture he is building at CU.

“The energy and the vibe there was crazy,” Butler said (h/t 247Sports’ Greg Biggins). “So much has changed now but I really had a good time, I loved it there. Deion is great’s building a culture there and he’s all about discipline. The practice was really good, I loved the tempo and the pace. Everyone is running from drill to drill, no down time. You practice hard or you get called out by the coaches, I saw that first hand and it doesn’t matter who you are.”

Butler specifically called out 5-star No. 1 overall 2022 recruit, DB Travis Hunter, as someone he’s looking forward to competing against.

“They’re bringing in dudes right now,” Butler said. “I talked with Travis Hunter and watched him practice. I recorded him in every drill because that’s the player I want to compete against, that’s how you get better.”

Butler sounds completely bought in on the culture in Boulder, and with Sanders being a former superstar defensive back, the Calabasas product has the chance to get some of the best coaching available from someone who knows his position inside and out.