Well, well, well—look who’s lurking in the recruiting bushes again. Coach Prime may have been quiet this summer, but that man doesn’t sleep on talent. One week after a top-tier running back said “I’m out” to Florida State, Deion Sanders hit the gas. The Buffs dropped an offer so loud, it practically gave hope to Buffs’ diabolical recruiting class.
Four-star running back Amari Thomas sent the college football world a little shockwave when he decommitted from Florida State’s #Tribe26 class. The Marianna (Fla.) native had been locked in with the ‘Noles since January, but on July 19, the speedster hit the eject button. Just 3 days later, he hit X (formerly Twitter) with a flex post—he’d just picked up a Colorado offer. And not just any offer. This one came gift-wrapped with a Deion Sanders GIF. Prime Time doesn’t just recruit; he puts on a show.
Colorado offers 2026 four-star RB Amari Thomas, who decommitted from Florida State last week. https://t.co/SwUfkcEtnZ
— Scott Procter (@ScottProcter_) July 22, 2025
At 5-foot-10 and nearly 190 pounds, Thomas is no ordinary burner. His 2023 junior season numbers are borderline video game—1,880 rushing yards, 34 touchdowns on the ground, and another 247 yards with 3 scores through the air. That’s 37 trips to the end zone, if you’re counting. And he’s not done. “You never know who will be in contact with you after,” Thomas told Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett when asked about the decommitment. That quote’s doing more lifting than a squat rack, because he followed it by saying he’ll announce again on August 9.
But here’s the kicker—South Carolina’s been lurking. The Gamecocks got him on campus in late May, and once he backed off the FSU pledge, they picked up a flurry of crystal balls. The Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine has them trending. Still, the Buffs’ offer could shift things quickly, especially with Thomas hinting he might delay his decision. Wouldn’t be the first time Prime stirred the pot at the last minute.
The Buffs need boosters—bad. Their 2026 class is sitting at No. 68 nationally and dead last (16th) in the Big 12 according to Rivals. But if you’re thinking the whole class is a dumpster fire, tap the brakes. It’s more of a quantity issue than a quality one. Colorado’s sitting on only nine commitments—Houston, the next closest Big 12 team, has 14. But when you zoom in, the average player rating ranks 5th in the conference. That’s right—Prime may not be stacking numbers yet, but he’s stacking quality.
July’s been good to Boulder. They snagged 4-star linebacker Rodney Colton Jr. from Georgia—ranked among the top 20 at his position. “The whole staff made an impact on my commitment,” Colton told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “They have over 200 years of experience in the NFL… so I am ready to go there and help them change things.” If that doesn’t sound like Prime’s pitch in a nutshell, nothing does.
Still, Sanders hasn’t been front and center this summer. Word is, he’s been laying low in Texas recovering from a mysterious illness. His absence has mattered. The man’s a walking billboard—put him in front of a recruit and the Buffs are back in the game.
Is Colorado’s 2026 recruiting class really this bad?
It’s tempting to look at the rankings and hit the panic button—80th in the country (per 247 Sports), last in the Big 12? Pretty bad, right? Wrong. When you peel back the curtain, it’s not all doom and gloom in Boulder. Prime isn’t losing recruits to clown schools. He’s simply not flooding the board yet. 9 total commits make it look light, but zoom into the player quality, and Colorado ranks 5th in the Big 12 by average rating (87.47).
And don’t forget—Deion Sanders’ real weapon isn’t high school recruiting. It’s the transfer portal. This man flips the portal like it’s nothing. Last cycle, Colorado brought in more transfers than just about anyone, and you better believe he’s gonna hit that portal hard again this winter. Still, to build something long-term, Prime needs to stack high school classes. He hasn’t done that yet. This cycle? Coach Prime is still not out of the game.
Amari Thomas might just be the catalyst. If the Buffs can sway him westward, it could trigger a domino effect with other elite 2026s. Especially if CU can land CJ Sadler—another 4-star freakshow—who’s set to commit on August 15. The Detroit native has CU in his final four, and word is, Boulder made a big impression.
Let’s not forget the other July pickups. Along with Colton, the Buffs grabbed CB Preston Ashley, OT Xavier Payne, LB Carson Crawford, S D’Montae Tims, and LB Colby Johnson. That’s not nothing. And while it’s not SEC-style depth yet, it’s a start. Give Deion Sanders some time back on the trail—face-to-face—and this class could go from bottom-barrel to spicy real quick.
So, is Colorado’s recruiting bad? Not really, too soon. It’s just slow. But if Amari Thomas turns Buffalo blue on August 9? You’re gonna hear a whole lot of folks changing their tune.
The post Coach Prime Offers 4-Star RB Just One Week After Florida State Decommitment appeared first on EssentiallySports.
