Colorado is working from way behind in he 2026 recruiting class after Deion Sanders missed several months on the trail as he battled bladder cancer. On Friday, Coch Prime and the Buffs got some much-needed good news with the commitment of 3-star OL Ben Gula.
BREAKING: 2026 three-star IOL Ben Gula has committed to Colorado.
— Jake Schwanitz (@JakeDNVR) August 2, 2025
Gula is projected to play center for the Buffs, he picked Colorado over UCF.
He’s Colorado’s 10th commitment of the 2026 class. pic.twitter.com/3KxIZB5e3B
Gula, the Fort Lauderdale native, becomes the 10th commitment of Colorado's 2026 class and the third from the state of Florida as the Sunshine State to Boulder pipeline continues under Coach Prime. Gula adds some much-needed beef to the Buffaloes' class, becoming the second offensive line commitment, joining fellow Florida native - and former Florida State commitment- Xavier Payne.
Gula is listed at 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds, and is ranked as the No. 96 interior offensive lineman in his class. He held 21 offers, but his recruitment came down to Colorado and UCF, with the 3-star ultimately spurning the in-state school to head west to Boulder.
Could this be the start of a big recruiting run for Deion Sanders?
Deion Sanders knows Colorado has a lot of work to do on the trail. It's why he sent out a message to recruits through the Colorado X account earlier this week. He knows that other schools have used the uncertainty around his future in Boulder as a negative recruiting tactic. Unfortunately, that tactic worked well, and Colorado currently sits with a class that ranks in the 80s.
However, that tactic won't work any longer following Sanders' press conference on Monday where he reassured everyone he is in Boulder to stay. It seems like only a matter of time before a big recruiting run happens.
On Thursday, Colorado added East Tennessee State Director of Recruiting Devin Ruffin to the off-field staff, and he'll pay immediate dividends with a pipeline into the hearty recruiting hotbed of St. Louis.
Gula is just the first domino as Coach Prime looks to catch fire on the trail. Colorado remains in the mix for several highly-ranked prospects who are uncommitted, and they will continue working on others to try and flip them over the next few months. There's still a ways to go until the early signing period in December, and Sanders has pulled off plenty of late surprises over the years.