Four-star in-state OL chooses Oklahoma over Colorado

Man, this one stings.

When Deacon Schmitt, the top recruit in the state of Colorado, made his commitment Saturday afternoon, we held our breath. There was cautious optimism—he visited Boulder, he has been shown love by the staff, and he’s a Colorado kid. But when he opened his mouth on Instagram Live and dropped the words “Boomer Sooner, horns down, baby,” it felt like a punch straight to the gut.

That kind of "L" sticks.

We've seen plenty of big-time recruits head out of state before (like Dalton Risner, for example), but losing a four-star, 6-foot-5, 320-pounder from Windsor, in our backyard, to Oklahoma? That's tough to swallow.

It’s not like Alabama or Texas won this one either. The Buffs were right there in the final three alongside the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Sooners. That alone shows how far this program has come.

But still—no matter how much progress we’ve made under Coach Prime, these are the battles we need to start winning if we want to take the next step.

A familiar struggle

Colorado hasn’t had the best track record of keeping big linemen from the eastern part of the state. It’s been a long-standing issue, way before Prime ever showed up in Boulder.

We’ve always produced tough, physical kids up front in this state. We just haven’t done a great job convincing them to stay.

And while it’s easy to blame NIL or tradition-rich programs like OU for swooping in, we also have to acknowledge where we are. CU is still rebuilding its brand. But until the wins keep stacking up and we show consistent development on the line, recruits like Schmitt are going to keep asking, “Why not somewhere else?”

The portal fix—for now

Now to be fair, the Buffs haven’t been asleep at the wheel. Far from it.

This offseason alone, CU added Andre Roye Jr. (Maryland), Larry Johnson III (Tennessee), and Cooper Lovelace (Northwestern) through the portal. That’s a solid veteran haul, and it speaks to Coach Prime’s strategy—win now, fill the gaps fast.

But it's short-term. The portal doesn’t always solve chemistry, culture, or long-term development. If we're building a program that’s going to win for the next decade—not just make noise this season—you need to get these elite high school linemen who grow with the team.

That’s why losing Schmitt, who could've been a four-year anchor and culture-setter on the line, feels so heavy.

Not all doom and gloom

Here’s where we zoom out a little.

The 2026 class is still in its early stages. Colorado only has four commits right now, and there’s a long road ahead. Deacon’s commitment doesn’t close the door. Coach Prime’s going to respond, and he’s shown before that he isn't discouraged after a recruiting miss.

Also, we still landed Jordan Seaton in 2024, one of the highest-rated offensive linemen in CU history. He’s already the face of the line and possibly the entire program. If Seaton continues to shine or even gets drafted in the first round in a couple of years, you can bet other top linemen will start to take CU more seriously.

Losing Schmitt sucks. There’s no way to sugarcoat that. He was the No. 2 player in Colorado. He had the frame, the film, and the fire. And for a brief moment, it felt like maybe—just maybe—he’d choose to stay home and help build something special in Boulder.

Instead, he chose Oklahoma. And now the Buffs have to pivot.

But here’s the thing about this new Colorado football program: it’s evolving. We’ve got the swagger and we’ve got the best staff.

We didn’t land Deacon Schmitt. But very soon, with continued winning, we’ll start turning “almosts” into commits.

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