The recruiting race for the Class of 2026 is already heating up — not just on the field, but in the increasingly complex ecosystem of modern college football, where NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals are reshaping how programs and players navigate early recruitment. For elite underclassmen, talent alone is no longer the only factor drawing attention; marketability, social media presence, and brand potential are now playing pivotal roles in how offers are extended and decisions are made. The top recruits in the 2026 cycle are not only physically advanced and highly skilled — they're entering high school with endorsement potential and media savviness.
Stacker compiled a list of the highest rated Class of 2026 football recruits from Colorado using data from 247Sports. Players are ranked by the 247Sports Composite ranking. Here's the players from Colorado set to dominate Saturdays (and potentially Sundays) for years to come.
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1 / 20#20. Atticus Tillman (S)
- National rank: #1,643 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #146
- College: Colorado State
- Offers: Colorado State, Bowling Green, Georgia State, Navy, New Mexico State
- High school: Arvada West (Arvada, CO)
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2 / 20#18 (tie). Braylon Toliver (ATH)
- National rank: #1,447 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #107
- College: Oregon State
- Offers: Oregon State, North Dakota State, Air Force, Army, Ball State
- High school: Erie (Erie, CO)
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3 / 20#18 (tie). Landon Drumm (ATH)
- National rank: #1,447 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #107
- College: Cal Poly
- Offers: Cal Poly, Montana State, West Virginia, Northern Colorado, San Diego
- High school: Arapahoe (Littleton, CO)
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4 / 20#17. Josiah Manu (OT)
- National rank: #1,276 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #110
- College: Colorado
- Offers: Colorado, Wyoming, Fresno State, Arizona, Portland State
- High school: Thompson Valley (Loveland, CO)
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5 / 20#16. Brody Flores (LB)
- National rank: #1,252 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #105
- College: Utah State
- Offers: Utah State, Fresno State, Washington State
- High school: Grandview (Aurora, CO)
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6 / 20#15. D.J. Bordeaux (QB)
- National rank: #1,013 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #55
- College: Boston College
- Offers: Boston College, Arkansas, Auburn, Charlotte, Cincinnati
- High school: Legend (Parker, CO)
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7 / 20#14. Jayden Fox (RB)
- National rank: #962 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #60
- College: not committed
- Offers: UNLV, Boise State, Wyoming, UConn, Louisiana Tech
- High school: Cherry Creek (Englewood, CO)
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8 / 20#13. Oliver Miller (OT)
- National rank: #923 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #77
- College: Kansas State
- Offers: Kansas State, Auburn, NC State, Colorado State, Minnesota
- High school: Cherry Creek (Englewood, CO)
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9 / 20#12. Tripp Skewes (OT)
- National rank: #848 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #73
- College: Vanderbilt
- Offers: Vanderbilt, Colorado, Texas Tech, North Carolina, Arizona
- High school: Kent Denver School (Englewood, CO)
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10 / 20Bobby Stevens Photo // Shutterstock
11 / 20#10. Mason Bandhauer (OT)
- National rank: #629 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #57
- College: Iowa State
- Offers: Iowa State, Boston College, Colorado State, Kansas, Kansas State
- High school: Fort Collins (Fort Collins, CO)
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12 / 20#9. Kannon Smith (OT)
- National rank: #532 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #49
- College: USC
- Offers: USC, Alabama, Arizona, BYU, Colorado State
- High school: Valor Christian (Littleton, CO)
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13 / 20#6 (tie). Maxwell Lovett (WR)
- National rank: #483 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #69
- College: Kansas State
- Offers: Kansas State, Boston College, Louisiana Tech, Colorado State, Hawaii
- High school: Cherry Creek (Englewood, CO)
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14 / 20#6 (tie). Toray Davis (ATH)
- National rank: #483 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #33
- College: UCLA
- Offers: UCLA, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, Utah
- High school: Fairview (Boulder, CO)
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15 / 20#6 (tie). Camden Jensen (TE)
- National rank: #483 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #25
- College: UCLA
- Offers: UCLA, North Carolina, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor
- High school: Heritage (Littleton, CO)
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16 / 20#5. Mason Bonner (TE)
- National rank: #462 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #23
- College: Michigan
- Offers: Michigan, Arizona, California, Colorado, Colorado State
- High school: Mullen (Denver, CO)
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17 / 20#3 (tie). Ty Goettsche (TE)
- National rank: #445 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #22
- College: BYU
- Offers: BYU, Arizona, Arkansas, Auburn, California
- High school: Cherry Creek (Englewood, CO)
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18 / 20#3 (tie). Tufanua Ionatana Umu-Cais (DL)
- National rank: #445 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #51
- College: Washington
- Offers: Washington, Colorado State, Colorado, North Carolina, UCLA
- High school: Cherry Creek (Englewood, CO)
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19 / 20#2. Deacon Schmitt (IOL)
- National rank: #308 (4 stars)
- Position rank: #21
- College: Oklahoma
- Offers: Oklahoma, Alabama, Colorado, Auburn, California
- High school: Windsor (Windsor, CO)
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20 / 20#1. Braylon Hodge (LB)
- National rank: #232 (4 stars)
- Position rank: #10
- College: Oregon
- Offers: Oregon, Texas, Michigan, Michigan State, Colorado
- High school: Cherry Creek (Englewood, CO)
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