Coach Prime's pursuit of this 4-star won't end despite his commitment to another team

4-star RB Amari Thomas committed to South Carolina on Friday. It wasn't a surprise, considering how late to the party Deion Sanders and Colorado were in his recruitment. Thomas, a former Florida State pledge, had decommitted from the Seminoles and set up a new commitment date before Coach Prime and the Buffaloes approached him with an official offer.

It's fair to say that Thomas had already made up his mind before he received the offer from Colorado, but that doesn't mean things are over in his recruitment. Sanders and Colorado RB coach Marshall Faulk will continue to have contact with Thomas between now and the early signing period in December.

They have been talking with him already about coming to a game sometime this fall, all the while knowing that he was almost certainly committing elsewhere. The biggest challenge ahead for Sanders is convincing Thomas to go to college so far from home.

"They're talking about me getting up for a game in September," Thomas said."I like Colorado even though it's a crazy trip from home. It may be worth it to play for Coach Prime."

Deion Sanders and Colorado need some wins on the recruiting trail

Though Thomas spurning Colorado (for now) was not unexpected at all by Buffs coaches or fans, it continues a pattern of recruiting whiffs in the 2026 cycle. As things stand, Colorado holds only 10 commitments in this class, ranking No. 82 in the composite.

Most experts tend to agree that it's a matter of when, not if, Coach Prime and Colorado go on a major run, but the nervousness in the fanbase isn't going to end until that run eventually comes.

Colorado still has some high-priority targets who are uncommitted, and Sanders has proven adept at flipping top targets from other programs.

The top remaining uncommitted prospect on the Colorado board is Detroit athlete CJ Sadler. I don't believe in calling any one recruit a "must get" in a class, but Sadler is about as close as it gets for the Buffaloes in the 2026 cycle.

They need momentum in the worst way, and might finally find it next week when he makes his announcement.