Colorado is in the midst of a huge recruiting wave thanks to a great second season under Deion Sanders. And they are also wisely using the power and reach of new media to amplify it.
Earlier this month, Colorado successfully flipped top quarterback recruit Julian Lewis after he decommitted from USC. Lewis made the announcement on national television on The Pat McAfee Show where it was seen and heard by a ton of people.
Then late on Thanksgiving night, Coach Prime’s program upped the ante. Not one but four highly ranked prospects all made their public commitments to Colorado on the popular Nightcap podcast with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco.
Carde Smith, London Merritt, Quentin Gibson, and Alex McPherson all committed their future to Deion Sanders and Colorado in coordinated announcements.
Congrats to @merritt_london , @McphersonAlex50 , Quentin Gibson and Carde Smith aka “Bossman Smitty” 👏🏿 thanks for coming on and announcing your commitments to @cubuffsfootball ‼️ We can’t wait to see y’all on the field next season 🦬 @ShannonSharpe @ochocinco @ShayShayMedia_ pic.twitter.com/B7XIe7D0Ma
— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) November 29, 2024
The recruiting windfall last night took Colorado up from #49 to #30 in On3’s national team recruiting rankings. Smith and Merritt are four star recruits according to the 24/7 rankings while Gibson and McPherson are three star recruits.
Earlier this week, Merritt exited his commitment from Ohio State while Smith was another USC recruit that flipped to Colorado. Merritt might be the biggest gem of the quartet as he ranks #52 in ESPN’s national rankings. But Smith may be the most important as a highly touted offensive line prospect, which has long been the biggest weakness of the Buffaloes program under Sanders.
In spite of all of the pushes from the media to get Deion Sanders to coach the Dallas Cowboys, these continued recruiting victories show that his investment in the Colorado Buffaloes program isn’t a fleeting one. Denver isn’t exactly known as a hotbed of college football recruiting, but the star power and celebrity of Coach Prime has made Colorado a national program overnight. And using these popular podcasts and television shows to announce these commitments is only going to make them look bigger and better and cooler in the eyes of other prospects.
Give all the credit to Deion Sanders and the Colorado program because these coordinated media announcements are a brilliant way to continue to market the program while also building a solid foundation for future success.
