The last thing Deion Sanders and Colorado needed with just over two weeks until early signing day was a wave of decommitments in an already small class that ranks at the bottom of the Big 12. Unfortunately, that's exactly what has happened.
In a three-day span, Colorado has seen 4-star TE Gavin Mueller and 3-star S D'Montae Tims flip their commitments. Mueller, one of the longest-standing commitments in Colorado's 2026 class, jumped ship on Monday, announcing he had flipped to Miami after a furious recent charge by the Hurricanes.
Mueller was one of the highest-ranked commitments in the Buffs' class.
On Thursday, Tims followed suit with his own flip. The Florida native flipped his commitment to Indiana, a program surging in the last couple of years, while plenty of question marks surround Coach Prime's program in Boulder after a 3-7 record through 10 games this season:
BREAKING: Class of 2026 Safety D’Montae Tims has Flipped his Commitment from Colorado to Indiana, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) November 20, 2025
The 6’1 190 S from Seffner, FL had been Committed to the Buffaloes since July
“I’m home. Hoosier nation let’s ride!!!”https://t.co/Z39umjOgIM pic.twitter.com/6WLWQwjjO2
The two flips have dropped Colorado's recruiting class to 98th overall in the composite and next to last in the Big 12. The only class ranked lower in the conference is coachless Oklahoma State.
On a roster that needs an infusion of young talent, the Buffs aren't going to get it from the high school ranks, leaving Coach Prime to once again roll the dice in the Transfer Portal this offseason.
Deion Sanders' lack of focus on high school recruiting will doom him at Colorado
Sanders may not be on the hot seat, but he's recruiting like a coach who doesn't expect to be in Boulder for much longer. That may sound harsh, but it's the reality of what we are seeing. The late recruiting run everyone assumed was coming for Colorado has flipped in the other direction.
Along with Mueller and Tims, Colorado lost 4-star DL Emanuel Ruffin, who decommitted from the Buffs two weeks ago before ultimately pledging ot Ohio State a short time later.
For whatever reason, especially in the last couple of cycles, high school recruiting has taken a back seat for Coach Prime, despite direct evidence that the best players on this year's team were recruited by Colorado out of high school.
The struggles on the recruiting trail for this cycle have left Sanders with little choice but to build next year's roster almost exclusively through the portal. Again.
That's another risky proposition for a tenure that seems close to derailing completely. There was a lot of buyer's remorse in the Transfer Portal last year as Sanders built this year's team that has wildly underachieved expectations.
His future might be decided by how it goes this time around.