Colorado Buffaloes Cornerback Preston Ashley Shares Surprising Reason For Commitment

"That was the best visit I ever took in my life," Ashley told Scott Procter of DNVR. "Besides the football aspect of it, Boulder is a place I'd want to live at."

From Brandon High School (Brandon, Mississippi), Ashley is a four-star defensive back hailed for all-world playmaking ability. He's a consensus top-15 cornerback in his class, and 247Sports Composite ranks him No. 9 among Mississippi recruits.

Ashley chose Colorado over the Florida State Seminoles and Florida Gators. He had offers from the Ole Miss Rebels, Tennessee Volunteers and Texas A&M Aggies.

His talent is undeniable and should make for a great addition to the Buffs' future secondary. He wasn't the only corner prospect to commit this week, as three-star former Liberty Flames pledge Maurice Williams flipped to Colorado on Wednesday.

However, Ashley discussed a factor of his recruiting that many don't often delve into. To the pleasant surprise of Colorado fans, he heaped praise on defensive coordinator Robert Livingston for not making any promises of early playing time.

"That also tied into my decision because I've never been a big guy on coaches promising me playing time and all that, because I know I have to work for what I want," Ashley told DNVR. "I've been doing that my whole life."

It's common practice for recruiters to pander to big-name prospects, often leading to broken promises and early transfer portal entries. Livingston took a more grounded approach, much to Ashley's liking.

"Being able to just sit down with Coach Livingston and him telling me that was what got me, because I know they don't sugarcoat anything and were keeping it 100 with me," Ashley added. "They're going to get everything out of me because I'm a dog and all I do is work."

Livingston earned the most lucrative contract extension for an assistant coach in Colorado history, worth $3.2 million over two seasons, and for good reason. He's been widely viewed as Coach Prime's sharpest hire since arriving in Boulder, guiding the defense to improvement on all fronts in 2024.

Under his watch, the Buffaloes led the Big 12 in sacks, had an instrumental linebacker duo in Nikhai Hill-Green and LaVonta Bentley and had college football's most outstanding defensive player at cornerback in Travis Hunter, who won the Chuck Bednarik Award.

He has a scout's keen eyes and an NFL coach's pristine pedigree, joining Colorado after over a decade working with Cincinnati Bengals staff and personnel.

Ashley's lunch pail mentality fits right into the desires of Sanders and Livingston, and it could lead to flat-out excellence in the secondary for years to come. With starting cornerbacks DJ McKinney and Preston Hodge likely entering their final seasons as Buffaloes, grinders like Ashley are set to breathe life into the unit.