{"id":165485,"date":"2022-12-22T19:48:22","date_gmt":"2022-12-22T19:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/deion-sanders-first-colorado-commits-feeling-the-love-i-need-you-2\/"},"modified":"2022-12-22T19:48:22","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T19:48:22","slug":"deion-sanders-first-colorado-commits-feeling-the-love-i-need-you-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/deion-sanders-first-colorado-commits-feeling-the-love-i-need-you-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Deion Sanders’ first Colorado commits feeling the love: ‘I need you’"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Grace Raynor, Manny Navarro and David Ubben<\/b><\/p>\n
Ryan Staub had visited Colorado three times before Deion Sanders took over as head coach.<\/p>\n
Outside of the red, shiny new McLaren parked on Folsom Field, everything else on campus looked pretty much the same to Staub two weekends ago.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Deion Sanders) was coaching at Jackson State so I don’t know if he had enough time to make that many arrangements,\u201d said Staub, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound three-star quarterback from Stevenson Ranch, Calif . Staub committed to Colorado last January and was one of seven holdover recruits from Karl Dorrell’s staff who signed with the program Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt definitely looked the exact same, but it didn’t feel the exact same,\u201d he said. \u201cThere’s a new energy and a new message in town. That’s obviously Coach Prime and what he’s kind of conveying to the whole world. What he’s going to do here, he’s just gonna bring change. And he’s gonna win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders, who stands out much like a $400,000 sports car on a football field, has a long road ahead of him in trying to turn around Colorado’s downtrodden football program.<\/p>\n
\nWe’re comin’. #SkoBuffs<\/a> @DeionSanders<\/a> @TheHC_CoachLew<\/a> @CUBuffsFootball<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/IdiHYhFPyB<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Ryan Staub (@_ryanstaub) December 13, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The Buffaloes were 1-11 in 2022 and ranked 63rd nationally in the 247Sports Team Talent Composite \u2014 only four spots better than Sanders’ former team, Jackson State.<\/p>\n
The recruiting class Sanders signed Wednesday featured 14 high school recruits and 10 transfers. Only five of the 24 signees were blue-chip prospects coming out of high school, but it’s also been only two weeks since Sanders was hired. Late Wednesday night, Jackson State corner Travis Hunter, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2022, announced his decision to transfer to Colorado, and several of his former JSU teammates should soon be joining him in the Rockies.<\/p>\n
Colorado’s recruiting class currently ranks No. 53 nationally, but its overall rank \u2014 which includes transfers \u2014 is No. 29. The Buffs’ overall rank was No. 58 in 2022 and No. 65 of 2021.<\/p>\n
So, what was it like for the first batch of recruits to get wooed to Colorado by Coach Prime?<\/p>\n
\u201cReally, we were just kind of getting to know each other,\u201d said Staub, who spent about 20 minutes with Sanders during his official visit weekend. \u201cIt basically got to the point where Coach Prime told me, ‘Get on Twitter and start recruiting your future teammates.’ That’s what I’ve been trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nSince Sanders was hired on Dec. 3, the Buffaloes have hosted two recruiting weekends: one from Dec. 9-11 and another from Dec. 16-18 before Monday’s dead period began.<\/p>\n
Sanders was back and forth from Mississippi to Colorado as he split time with his Jackson State team ahead of the Tigers’ Celebration Bowl appearance. But after the game ended Saturday afternoon, Sanders flew back to Boulder, where he caught the last 90 minutes of a three-hour dinner at the Colorado team facility, complete with macaroni and cheese, green beans, blackened shrimp, fried chicken and dinner rolls , according to three-star cornerback signee Carter Stoutmire. A DJ was on hand, which prompted a few of the more gregarious recruits to start dancing.<\/p>\n
But despite Coach Prime’s flashy personality, Saturday night felt more like a \u201ccookout\u201d than a \u201cparty,\u201d said former Western Michigan defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who is now considering Colorado as a transfer destination. Save for the McLaren and Aston Martin luxury cars on the field for the ever-anticipated photo shoot, there was a relaxing vibe to the visit.<\/p>\n
\nHad a great time visiting Colorado this weekend. The staff is Legit!\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffd\ud83d\udcaa\ud83c\udffe Really appreciate @DeionSanders<\/a> @CoachNickWill<\/a> @CoachCGrundy<\/a> \u270a\ud83c\udffe\ud83d\udc03\ud83d\udd25 @CoachKimble_<\/a> @AllenTrieu<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/EeRVrU5VcO<\/a><\/p>\n