There's been a lot of negativity surrounding Deion Sanders and the Colorado program the last couple of weeks. That's what happens when you get outscored 105-24 over the course of two games.
If any coach and any program needed a win - on or off the field - it was Deion Sanders and Colorado. They got just that on Tuesday.
4-star 2027 ATH Alex Ward - who recently de-committed from Alabama - announced his commitment to the Buffaloes.
BREAKING: Four-Star ATH Alex Ward has Committed to Colorado, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) November 4, 2025
The 6’1 175 ATH from Marietta, GA was previously committed to Alabama
“Time to make history in black and gold!! Buffalo bound🦬#gobuffs”https://t.co/388ETumaCb pic.twitter.com/mU3K8bnrxh
All the tea leaves pointed toward Ward landing in Boulder following his de-commitment from Alabama. His brother, 3-star 2026 WR Christian Ward, committed to Colorado back in September. Once Alex decided to reopen his recruitment and back off a long-standing pledge to Alabama, it seemed obvious that he would end up following his brother to play for Coach Prime.
Alex Ward's commitment is a big boost for Coach Prime and Colorado
Following Colorado's latest embarrassing defeat, a 52-17 beatdown at the hands of Arizona, Sanders sent a message to prospective recruits who might be scared away by the downturn the Buffaloes have taken this year after a breakthrough in 2024.
"I don't have to explain it; they saw it," Sanders said. "See, you got to understand, if you're a dog, you want to come here and right the wrongs. If you're a cat, you look at the scoreboard and you run. Which one are you? A dog or a cat?"
Evidently, Ward is a dog.
Ward is a Georgia native but plays high school football at the prestigious IMG Academy. He's ranked as the No. 285 overall player in the 247 composite rankings. He's a two-way star at IMG, playing both WR and CB. It certainly didn't hurt Colorado's case to have had such success with Travis Hunter in that kind of role. Maybe Ward becomes the next two-way star for Coach Prime.
Recruiting has been slow-moving for Colorado in the 2026 class, and this year's team has made it clear how much work Sanders still has to do to get the roster in shape to contend in the Big 12. He'll do more work in the Transfer Portal this offseason as time is running out to salvage a 2026 class that only has 13 commitments.
Colorado is beginning to shift the high school recruiting focus to the next class. Ward is an excellent start to the 2027 cycle and will hopefully help the Buffs build some needed momentum on the trail.