Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders finished another season in Boulder with a recruiting approach that continues to raise eyebrows. Once again, he made no in-home visits to recruits or off-campus trips to high schools—an unusually hands-off strategy for a major college football coach.
Analyst Backs Deion Sanders’ Slimmer 2025 Transfer Portal Approach
Many are concerned about Sanders’ recruitment approach and call it unsustainable. But not everyone’s buying into the doubt. ON3 analyst JD PicKell is firmly on Coach Prime’s side and thinks it’s brilliant.
On a recent episode of his show, PicKell discussed how Sanders transformed the Buffaloes roster. In his first two years, Sanders brought in around 90 players through the transfer portal—a considerable number, but one PicKell says it was crucial given how bad the roster was then.
Now that Sanders has built what he believes is a strong, competitive squad, the transfer numbers have dropped significantly. For PicKell, it’s simple: if you’ve already got the talent, there’s no need to keep signing just for the sake of it.
“The first two years at Colorado, look at their portal numbers. Colorado took right around 90 guys over those two years,” PicKell said. “So, what does that tell us? Roster not good enough.
“This past cycle, nowhere near those numbers, dude,” PicKell said. “I mean, it wasn’t even a fraction of what they’ve taken the last couple of years. Why? If you don’t need to go get talent, you don’t go to the portal. If you feel good about your roster, you’re not adding a ton of other pieces via the portal.”
The Buffaloes’ 2025 class is a dramatic shift from Sanders’ approach in his first two seasons. It consists of 45% high school prospects (14) and 55% transfers (17), for a total of 31. In 2023, Sanders brought in 73 new players, with 21 (28%) high school prospects.
All things considered, Sanders’ recruitment strategy is working. The 2024 season had noticeable progress on the field, and the overall talent level at Colorado has upgraded since his arrival.
KEEP READING: Rich Eisen Picks Favorite Colorado Pro Day Moment, Salutes Deion Sanders’ Showmanship
Colorado’s star players, Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, are leaving, and both are projected to go early in the upcoming NFL Draft. But Sanders has reassured fans that everything is on track; he is confident in the foundation he’s building.
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