Despite Deion Sanders’ claims as one of college football’s kinds of the transfer portal, even the highly regarded Coach Prime can’t get all of the best players that the sport has to offer. In fact, here are 10 players who were either directly or indirectly linked to the Buffs who Deion and Colorado couldn’t nab. And yes, many are QBs, as that was a major issue following the loss of Shedeur Sanders to the NFL.
Top 10 Portal Targets Who Turned Down Deion Sanders’ Colorado
10. Wayshawn Parker, RB
Parker, who starred as a true freshman at Washington State, hit the portal with three significant years left. He rushed for 735 yards and 5.4 yards per carry with the Cougars and ultimately ended up picking Utah for his next home. Given Colorado’s issues with running the ball, Parker could have been a significant asset for Sanders and Colorado.
9. Jordan Dwyer, WR
Dwyer is making the jump from FCS Idaho, but the 6′ target showed his skill-set as a sophomore, hauling in 1,192 receiving yards. Dwyer ended up at TCU, so he’ll see Coach Prime and Colorado on October 4. Given that Dwyer will likely start for the Horned Frogs, it’s not hard to imagine Sanders wishing that he had ended up with the FCS playmaker come that October game.
8. Maalik Murphy, QB
Now, Colorado ended up more or less fine at QB. They grabbed Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and will also have freshman standout Julian Lewis. That doesn’t mean Colorado wouldn’t have welcomed a more high-end transfer, and Murphy was certainly one of those. A year ago, the 6’5″ Murphy passed for 2,933 yards and 26 touchdowns at taking traditional doormat Duke to a successful season. He ended up at Oregon State, but could have been a Buff.
7. Ethan O’Connor, CB
O’Connor would fit Coach Prime’s open declaration for cornerback help. At Washington State, he broke up eight passes, including four interceptions. But O’Connor chose the glitz and glamor of Miami over Colorado.
6. Cameron Calhoun, CB
The 6′ Calhoun is another potential lockdown corner who didn’t pick CU. Calhoun, who broke up nine passes last season at Utah as a freshman, ended up picking Alabama. If Colorado again ends up a bit thin in the secondary, his absence there could be notable.
5. David Gusta, DL
Gusta isn’t the kind of recruit who will gather massive headlines. He’s a 300 pound inside plugger who helped Washington State’s defense by his mere presence. He ended up picking Kentucky, where Mark Stoops and the Wildcats can certainly use his space-eating interior presence. But so could Colorado, and the Washington State transfer could have been an easy fit.
4. Nico Iamaleava, QB
Yes, adding Iamaleava after the spring, when he no-showed on Tennessee in an effort to increase his NIL take, would have been a delicate matter. But after all, this is Coach Prime. If there is a big-time coach swaggy enough to add yet another five-star QB to his room, he’d have been the likely choice. Given the rumored NIL bag that UCLA dropped to take Iamaleava, Sanders may have just decided that (particularly given the late timing) adding the QB just wasn’t worth the hassle. But wow, it would have made for a lightning bolt of a shot across the college football landscape.
3. John Mateer, QB
On the other hand, picking up Mateer in the first place would have been arguably easier than nabbing Salter. A dual-threat guy, the 6’1″ Mateer threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns last year while rushing for an additional 826 yards. He ended up picking Oklahoma, which isn’t really a higher-profile pick than Colorado, given a pair of 6-7 campaigns in the last three seasons for Brent Venables and the Sooners. Coach Prime may wish he’d gone with Mateer instead of Salter when all is said and done.
2. Isaiah World, OT
Coach Prime knows the value of a top tackle. After all, he’s got Jordan Seaton ready to do battle on one side. Colorado picked up Xavier Hill to fill the other spot, and he should be capable. But World, well, he’s as big as his name. At 6’8″ and around 310 pounds, the Nevada tackle could have been the other dominant bookend to protect Sanders’ QBs. But World ended up an Oregon Duck instead.
1. Carson Beck, QB
It was a match made in heaven. The QB1 who was expected to be in the NFL Draft before a lackluster 2024 season downed his stock. The passing guru who now needed a new trigger man and unlike Georgia’s Kirby Smart, would have allowed Beck to throw and throw and throw. But Miami ended up taking arguably the top player in the portal. As was discussed above, Sanders didn’t just sit around and wring his hands. But Beck and the Buffaloes would have been a massive, massive story.
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