Colorado Buffaloes
Big 12
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #96
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- -8.3 (#96)
- SP+ Offense
- 22.6
- SP+ Defense
- 29.5
- SRS
- -2.2
- FPI
- -2.7
- Elo
- 1344
- Talent
- 755
- Recruiting
- —
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
4.0p10 2.0 — p90 6.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 0.0% | |
| Make CFP | 0.0% | |
| Quarterfinal | 0.0% | |
| Semifinal | 0.0% | |
| Natl. final | 0.0% | |
| Natl. champ | 0.0% |
Schedule
proj record 4.2–7.8
Schedule
37th
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
34th
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
41st
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+ · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @Georgia Tech | +9.3 | 15-30 | -14.8 | 15% | — |
| 2 | vsWeber State | FCS | 43-5* | +37.7 | 99% | — |
| 3 | @Northwestern | +5.8 | 17-28 | -11.3 | 21% | — |
| 4 | @Baylor | +1.4 | 21-29 | -8.5 | 27% | — |
| 5 | vsTexas Tech | +27.6 | 21-33 | -11.6 | 20% | — |
| 7 | vsUtah | +22.2 | 17-40 | -22.4 | 6% | — |
| 8 | @Oklahoma State | -15.1 | 27-24 | +2.7 | 57% | — |
| 9 | vsKansas State | +7 | 23-32 | -9.1 | 26% | — |
| 10 | @Arizona State | +3.9 | 22-29 | -7.1 | 30% | — |
| 11 | vsHouston | +7.4 | 21-31 | -10.2 | 24% | — |
| 12 | @Cincinnati | +4.5 | 22-25 | -3.5 | 40% | — |
| 13 | vsUCF | -1.2 | 25-23 | +1.5 | 53% | — |
* FBS-vs-FCS estimate from the SP+ gap — no per-game model for FCS opponents.
Quarterbacks · 5
2026 · 78
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Kaidon Salter | SR | 6'1" | 190 | — |
| QB | 2nd | Julian Lewis | FR | 6'1" | 190 | ★★★★ |
| QB | 3rd | Colton Allen | JR | 6'3" | 210 | — |
| QB | 4th | Isaac Wilson← Utah | SO | 6'0" | 212 | ★★★ |
| QB | — | Dominiq Ponder | SO | 6'5" | 200 | — |
Running Backs · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Damian Henderson II← Sacramento State | SO | 6'2" | 210 | ★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | JaQuail Smith← Sacramento State | FR | 5'11" | 171 | ★★★ |
| RB | 3rd | Micah Welch | SO | 5'9" | 215 | ★★★ |
| RB | 4th | Dekalon Taylor | SR | 5'9" | 165 | — |
| RB | 5th | Richard Young← Alabama | SO | 5'11" | 212 | ★★★ |
Wide Receivers · 11
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Danny Scudero← San José State | SO | 5'9" | 174 | ★★★ |
| WR | 2nd | Kam Perry← Miami (OH) | JR | 5'9" | 168 | ★★★ |
| WR | 3rd | Ernest Campbell← Sacramento State | FR | 5'9" | 145 | ★★★ |
| WR | 4th | Quentin Gibson | FR | 5'9" | 155 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 5th | DeAndre Moore Jr.← Texas | JR | 6'0" | 192 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 6th | Joseph Williams | SO | 6'2" | 200 | ★★★ |
| WR | 7th | Sincere Brown | SR | 6'5" | 190 | ★★★ |
| WR | 8th | Kaleb Mathis | SO | 5'9" | 155 | — |
| WR | 9th | Hykeem Williams | JR | 6'2" | 220 | — |
| WR | 10th | Quanell Farrakhan Jr. | FR | 6'1" | 180 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 11th | Ronald Coleman | SO | 5'9" | 160 | — |
Tight Ends · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Zach Atkins | JR | 6'4" | 240 | — |
| TE | — | Fisher Clements← Northern Colorado | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Offensive Line · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Mana Taimani | SR | 6'5" | 340 | — |
| OT | — | Taj White← Rutgers | SR | 6'5" | 308 | ★★★ |
| OT | — | Leon Bell← California | JR | 6'8" | 330 | ★★★ |
| OT | — | Bo Hughley← Georgia | SO | 6'7" | 295 | ★★★ |
| OT | — | Jayven Richardson← Missouri | JR | 6'6" | 313 | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 21
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | 1st | Keaten Wade | SR | 6'4" | 235 | ★★★★ |
| DE | 2nd | Arden Walker | SR | 6'2" | 250 | ★★★ |
| DE | 3rd | Quency Wiggins | JR | 6'5" | 255 | ★★★★ |
| DE | 4th | Tristan Marois | SR | 6'6" | 240 | — |
| DE | 5th | Nikhil Webb Walker | JR | 6'6" | 275 | — |
| DL | 1st | Ezra Christensen← New Mexico State | SR | 6'2" | 260 | ★★★ |
| DL | 2nd | Dylan Manuel← App State | SO | 6'1" | 300 | ★★★ |
| DL | 3rd | Santana Hopper← Tulane | JR | 6'2" | 265 | ★★★ |
| DL | 4th | Tyler Moore← Coastal Carolina | SO | 6'0" | 297 | ★★★ |
| DL | 5th | Sedrick Smith← Maryland | SO | 6'4" | 321 | ★★★ |
| DL | 6th | Samu Taumanupepe← Baylor | SO | 6'3" | 376 | ★★★ |
| DT | 1st | Anquin Barnes Jr. | SR | 6'5" | 340 | — |
| DT | 2nd | Amari McNeill | SR | 6'4" | 300 | — |
| DT | 3rd | Tavian Coleman | SR | 6'1" | 300 | — |
| DT | 4th | Taurean Carter II | SR | 6'3" | 280 | — |
| EDGE | 1st | Vili Taufatofua← San José State | JR | 6'3" | 259 | ★★★ |
| EDGE | 2nd | Yamil Talib← Charlotte | FR | 6'2" | 240 | ★★★ |
| EDGE | 3rd | Immanuel Ezeogu← James Madison | FR | 6'2" | 240 | ★★★ |
| EDGE | — | Toby Anene← North Dakota State | JR | 6'4" | 259 | ★★★ |
| EDGE | — | Lamont Lester Jr.← Monmouth | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| EDGE | — | Balansama Kamara← Albany | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 8
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Gideon Lampron← Bowling Green | JR | 6'0" | 220 | ★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Jeremiah Brown | SR | 6'2" | 235 | ★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Liona Lefau← Texas | JR | 6'1" | 227 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Reginald Hughes | SR | 6'2" | 225 | — |
| LB | 5th | Martavius French | SR | 6'2" | 225 | — |
| LB | 6th | Tyler Martinez← New Mexico State | SR | 6'2" | 225 | ★★★ |
| LB | 7th | Kylan Salter | SO | 6'2" | 230 | — |
| LB | 8th | Bo LaPenna | JR | 6'1" | 235 | — |
Defensive Backs · 17
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Preston Hodge | SR | 6'0" | 200 | — |
| CB | 2nd | Emory Floyd← App State | JR | 6'1" | 195 | ★★★ |
| CB | 3rd | Justin Eaglin← James Madison | JR | 6'1" | 175 | ★★★ |
| CB | 4th | Ivan Yates | SR | 6'0" | 170 | — |
| CB | 5th | Makari Vickers | SO | 6'1" | 190 | ★★★★ |
| CB | 6th | RJ Johnson | JR | 6'2" | 185 | — |
| CB | 7th | Braden Keith | JR | 5'10" | 180 | — |
| CB | 8th | Jason Stokes Jr.← Utah | FR | 6'1" | 163 | ★★★ |
| CB | 9th | Cree Thomas← Notre Dame | FR | 6'1" | 187 | ★★★ |
| CB | — | Paul Omodia← Lamar | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| S | 1st | Naeten Mitchell← New Mexico State | SO | 5'11" | 175 | ★★★ |
| S | 2nd | Randon Fontenette← Vanderbilt | JR | 6'2" | 220 | ★★★ |
| S | 3rd | Boo Carter← Tennessee | SO | 5'11" | 200 | ★★★★ |
| S | 4th | Ben Finneseth | SR | 6'2" | 205 | — |
| S | 5th | Jaydan Hardy← Oklahoma | SO | 5'10" | 180 | ★★★ |
| S | 6th | Jah Jah Boyd← Indiana | FR | 5'11" | 173 | ★★★ |
| S | 7th | Nathaniel Watson | SO | 5'10" | 180 | — |
Special Teams · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | 1st | Kameron Hawkins | SR | 5'11" | 240 | ★★ |
| P | 1st | Damon Greaves | JR | 6'1" | 190 | — |
| PK | 1st | Alejandro Mata | SR | 5'9" | 190 | — |
| PK | 2nd | Buck Buchanan | SR | 5'11" | 185 | ★★★ |
Season History · last 12
0 AP top-10 · 3 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3-9 | 1-8 | #96 | — | — |
| 2024 | 9-3 | 7-2 | #39 | #16 | 0-1 |
| 2023 | 4-8 | 1-8 | #81 | #18 | — |
| 2022 | 1-11 | 1-8 | #124 | — | — |
| 2021 | 4-8 | 3-6 | #104 | — | — |
| 2020 | 4-1 | 3-1 | #73 | — | 0-1 |
| 2019 | 5-7 | 3-6 | #81 | — | — |
| 2018 | 5-7 | 2-7 | #79 | — | — |
| 2017 | 5-7 | 2-7 | #64 | — | — |
| 2016 | 10-3 | 8-2 | #53 | — | 0-1 |
| 2015 | 4-9 | 1-8 | #87 | — | — |
| 2014 | 2-10 | 0-9 | #87 | — | — |
Recruiting Classes
avg #53 · 25 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★133 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #37 | 209 | 0 | 8 | 5 |
| 2024 | #81 | 165 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 2023 | #29 | 220 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| 2022 | #47 | 192 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2021 | #65 | 167 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2020 | #36 | 203 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| 2019 | #44 | 195 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2018 | #53 | 187 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2017 | #35 | 204 | 0 | 3 | 14 |
| 2016 | #69 | 160 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 42net +4Out 38
Portal avg stars (in / out)3.1 / 3.1
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | DeAndre Moore Jr. | WR | 4★ | ← Texas |
| ▲ | Boo Carter | S | 4★ | ← Tennessee |
| ▲ | Liona Lefau | LB | 4★ | ← Texas |
| ▲ | Leon Bell | OT | 3★ | ← California |
| ▼ | Jordan Seaton | OT | 5★ | → LSU |
| ▼ | Omarion Miller | WR | 4★ | → Arizona State |
| ▼ | DJ McKinney | CB | 4★ | → Notre Dame |
| ▼ | Dre'lon Miller | WR | 3★ | → Baylor |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
20 items
- Colorado coach Deion Sanders proclaims himself 'cancer-free'A year after undergoing surgery to remove his cancerous bladder, Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders says he considers himself cancer-free.COLO41m
- Colorado football adds kicker Cadel Ayala for 2026 seasonColorado added kicker-punter Cadel Ayala, a long-distance specialist who adds needed special teams depth.COLO1d
- ‘Best Coaching Staff I’ve Ever Had’ — Deion Sanders Raves About ‘Tremendous’ Assistants at ColoradoDeion Sanders’ journey as head coach of the University of Colorado’s football team has included a lot of fanfare. More than most club leaders, he has had fewer than five wins in two of his three seasons as head coach.COLO2d
- Palm Beach Lakes' Ryan Ferdinand commits to Deion Sanders, ColoradoPalm Beach Lakes receiver Ryan Ferdinand committed to Colorado football, citing team culture and Deion Sanders.COLO2d
- Colorado football announces six-player group for Big 12 Media DaysColorado will send Julian Lewis and five teammates to Big 12 Media Days, giving fans an early look at the 2026 roster.
- College Football 27 reveals top players, Colorado with only one rankedEA Sports College Football 27 revealed its top-rated players, with Colorado having one player among the game's top 140.COLO3d
- LSU's 5-Star Offensive Lineman Jordan Seaton Announces CVS PartnershipThe LSU Tigers made a handful of offseason roster moves under first-year head coach Lane Kiffin. Seaton is expected to make an immediate impact after earning a Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade of 84.8 last season on true pass sets.
- Colorado lands commitment from 2027 linebacker Jahmiere Daniels-PortisColorado added a three-star linebacker to its 2027 class, giving the Buffaloes another defensive commitment.COLO4d
- Colorado football coach Deion Sanders 'getting new toes' to fill out footColorado football coach Deion Sanders is getting new fake toes to replace the two he had amputated in 2021, according to a video from son Deion Jr.COLO4d
- 2027 LB Jahmiere Daniels-Portis commits to ColoradoSpringfield (Ohio) three-star linebacker Jahmiere Daniels-Portis announced his commitment to Colorado on Wednesday evening. He chose the Buffaloes after taking his official visit to Boulder. Indiana, NC State, Cincinnati and Illinois were among the other programs involved in his recruitment. Daniels-Portis is the No. 107 LB and No. 50 player in Ohio in the 2027 […]COLO4d
- Ole Miss adds elite 2027 OT over Colorado, FloridaOle Miss added a commitment from a Class of 2027 OT on Wednesday. The post Ole Miss adds elite 2027 OT over Colorado, Florida appeared first on Saturday Down South.COLO5d
- 4-star DL flips back to Ole Miss after literal hours with ColoradoOn Tuesday, Ben’Jarvius Shumaker flipped his comittment from Ole Miss to Colorado. Now, it seems he has changed his mind.COLO5d
- Colorado loses Ben'Jarvius Shumaker back to Ole Miss after wild sagaLess than 10 hours after landing the commitment of DL Ben'Jarvius Shumaker, the 4-star has changed his mind again.COLO5d
- The moments before Colorado QB’s death — and the question his mom won’t let goNew Colorado State Patrol report reveals details of the car crash that killed Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder in March at age 23.
- 4-star DL Ben'Jarvius Shumaker flips back to Ole Miss nine hours after Colorado commitmentShumaker's announcement comes nearly nine hours after he flipped to Colorado.COLO5d
- 4-star DL Ben’Jarvius Shumaker flips back to Ole Miss hours after flipping to ColoradoOn Tuesday morning, Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County four-star defensive lineman Ben’Jarvius Shumaker flipped his commitment from Ole Miss to Colorado. The move came as a surprise, as on Monday, Shumaker announced that his recruitment was shut down and that he was solid with the Rebels. Now, the blue-chipper is saying he’s back with Ole Miss, not the Buffaloes. […]COLO5d
- Colorado football's top 2027 commitments from Andre Adams to Ben'Jarvius ShumakerThe last month has seen Colorado football's 2027 class grow from just a few to now one of the top classes in the Big 12.COLO5d
- Where Colorado's 2027 class ranks after landing top rated commitmentColorado rebounded after a recent decommitment with a major flip, boosting their standing in the Big 12 and national recruiting rankings.COLO5d
- Colorado's overall rating rating revealed for College Football 27Colorado’s overall rating in EA Sports' College Football 27 is out. See where the Buffs rank nationally after a massive roster overhaul.COLO5d
- Colorado flips top-100 DL from Ole Miss after he reaffirmed commitmentBen'Jarvius Shumaker shut down his commitment on Monday, but on Tuesday, he flipped from the Rebels to the Buffaloes.COLO5d