Glory Colorado
Fansided

Top Colorado football recruiting splash turned down millions from Tennessee

Coach Prime's top 2024 Colorado football recruiting splash this cycle turned down millions from Tennessee per a report.

By Andrew Hughes

IMG's Jordan Seaton (77) protects his quarterback against a Lipscomb defender at Lipscomb's Reese
IMG's Jordan Seaton (77) protects his quarterback against a Lipscomb defender at Lipscomb's Reese / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA
facebooktwitterreddit

Coach Prime's top 2024 Colorado football recruit, IMG's Jordan Seaton, reportedly turned down over a million dollars from the University of Tennessee to become a Vol according to a report from BuffsBeat's Josh Tolle.

"Seaton reportedly turned down a "multi-million" dollar offer from Tennessee before heading to Colorado, sources told BuffsBeat," Tolle wrote. "WBIR TV also reported last week that IMG Academy's offensive lineman turned down a significant offer with a 'seven-figure' price tag."

Knoxville's NBC affiliate considered Seaton's decision a "surprise."

"Tennessee and its NIL collective were feeling good about their chances of landing the final uncommitted five-star recruit in the 2024 class in the days leading up to his decision, and Seaton's ultimate choice of Colorado came as a surprise," a WBIR correspondent wrote.

Jordan Seaton committed to Coach Prime even though Colorado football is not an ATM

Many criticized Coach Prime for his stance that the University of Colorado won't be focusing on NIL as their main selling point. Even this writer didn't think that was the wisest play at the time, but Deion Sanders' edict ended up bringing on the top recruit at CU's biggest area of need.

“We’re not an ATM — that’s not going to happen here,” Sanders said on November 21. “If you come to Colorado to play football for me and the Colorado Buffaloes, it’s because you really want to play football and receive a wonderful education, and all the business stuff will be handled on the back end if that’s the case. But we are not an ATM.”

Colorado didn't need to be the ATM Tennessee was trying to be to seal Seaton's commitment. Instead, Coach Prime was able to pitch Boulder, a University of Colorado education, and a chance to be a national name protecting Shedeur Sanders under the unique "Prime Time" spotlight Deion brings wherever he goes.

Unless CU is a secret NIL powerhouse and is simply outbidding the SEC's big-spenders. That doesn't seem likely, though.

Home/Colorado Buffaloes Football Recruiting