If Deion Sanders and Colorado are going to dig themselves out of the Big 12 recruiting cellar for the 2026 cycle, it's going to take some flipping of committed prospects. The Buffaloes have missed out on quite a few of their top targets for this class, most recently watching 4-star ATH CJ Sadler choose Bill Belichick and North Carolina over Coach Prime's Colorado.
Despite the rough sledding so far, there's still nearly four months until the early signing period, meaning there's plenty of time for Sanders to work his magic and convince prospects that Boulder is the place for them. Coach Prime continues to build something special at Colorado, and with a staff chalk full of NFL experience, it's a place building quite the reputation for development.
Colorado has begun extending new offers to quite a few prospects who have already announced commitments. On Tuesday night, the Buffaloes extended yet another one of those offers, this time to a blue-chip defensive lineman out of Texas.
Colorado extends offer to 4-star Michigan commitment Alister Vallejo
Alister Vallejo is a 4-star DL out of Liberty Hill, Texas. He's a consensus 4-star recruit and ranked as the No. 281 overall prospect in the 247 composite rankings. Vallejo committed to Michigan in June, choosing the Wolverines over offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Ole Miss, and Miami (FL).
Vallejo reported an offer from Colorado on Tuesday night:
#AGTG after a great conversation with @CoachBox6 I’m blessed to receive an offer from The University Of Colorado @CoachSeaborn @CoachMolina40 @9ine0Elite @LH_Panthers_FB @JNSC33 pic.twitter.com/EBVRMeaiRZ
— Alister Vallejo (@AlisterVallejo) August 20, 2025
Finding defensive linemen is a must in this class. Colorado has a deep and talented defensive line for the 2025 team, but the vast majority of that depth is in the final year of college eligibility. There's going to be nothing but new faces in that room next season, and while the Buffs will have no choice but to pursue Transfer Portal additions in order to supplement experience, they will want to add some youth to the room as well.
Colorado's 2026 class currently holds only 11 commitments, none of which are on the defensive line. Coach Prime has two blue-chip prospects and nine guys flying under the radar. The 4-star commitments are from LB Rodney Colton Jr. and S Preston Ashley.
Vallejo would be a massive flip for Colorado. After the offer, they are no doubt working on getting him on campus for a visit this fall.