Colorado head coach Deion Sanders says he does not care about recruits’ star ratings ahead of a pivotal offseason for the Buffaloes.

The Buffs improved to 7-2 on the season with a 41-27 victory on the road at Texas Tech on Saturday, keeping their hopes of reaching the Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff alive. But once this season concludes, huge changes will be needed in Boulder with superstar quarterback – and son – Shedeur Sanders and two-way sensation Travis Hunter headed to the NFL.

Recruiting – both out of high school and in the transfer portal – is among Deion’s biggest strengths, and those skills are being put to the test as he prepares for a future without his X-factor stars and tries to lure the nation’s top talents to Folsom Field.

Deion insists he is not fixated on players’ stock coming out of high school, pointing to the example of freshman center Cash Cleveland – a preferred walk-on who stepped into the lineup for starter Hank Zilinskas in Lubbock and delivered an assured performance that delighted his head coach.

“What it shows is that we don’t care if you’re a five-star, a four-star, or a walk-on. Which he was,” Deion said. “And he’s out there playing. Valuable time, not garbage time. He is out there and putting in some real production for us. So I’m proud of Cash. He’s one of my favorites, as well.”

Sanders’ message – and Cleveland’s ascension into the lineup – will doubtless inspire confidence among unheralded players chasing the opportunity to play for Colorado next season and beyond.

Colorado hopes to flip Carrollton High School star Ju Ju Lewis, who has committed to USC

Colorado hopes to flip Carrollton High School star Ju Ju Lewis, who has committed to USC ( 

Image:

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

At the quarterback position, though, it appears Pro Football Hall of Famer Sanders is pulling out all the stops to land a superstar acquisition and mitigate the void his son will leave behind.

The Buffs have been working hard to try to flip USC commit Julian ‘Ju Ju’ Lewis. Lewis visited the Colorado campus back in June but opted to pledge his future to the Trojans.

But interest remains from the Buffs, with Lewis making a second visit to Boulder for the win over Cincinnati last month. And it seems they are making headway in their attempts to secure a fitting successor for their NFL-bound QB.

Five-star pocket passer Lewis, the No. 2 player on the ESPN 300 behind only LSU commit Bryce Underwood, is the subject of a crystal ball prediction from Tom Loy, a lead recruiting expert for 247Sports.

Loy, who has been proved correct with 150 of his 153 crystal ball predictions for the 2025 draft class, is confident Colorado will successfully flip Georgia native Lewis, and he will be wearing a Buffaloes jersey next season. The prediction has been backed up by Colorado insider Adam Musterteiger, who has a three-for-three crystal ball record for the 2025 class.

In his junior season at Carrollton High School, Lewis threw a remarkable 48 touchdowns against just two interceptions, cementing his status as one of the top prospects in his class.