Colorado Buffaloes Recruiting: Deion Sanders To Flip Duke Commit Jayvian Tanelus?

Tanelus, who preps at the Community School of Naples (Naples, Florida), committed to the Duke Blue Devils on June 13.

Before his commitment, he officially visited the UCF Knights and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. On Friday, he visited with the USF Bulls. Among dozens of others, Tanelus boasts offers from the Ole Miss Rebels, North Carolina State Wolfpack and Iowa Hawkeyes.

The 5-9, 190-pound Tanelus is ranked No. 59 among running backs in his class by 247Sports Composite.

In 2024, Tanelus rushed 169 times for 1,525 yards, a staggering nine yards per carry. He eclipsed 100 yards in six of his seasons' 10 games and registered 20 touchdowns. He'd transferred in from Lely, where he tallied 454 yards and six touchdowns on 76 carries as a sophomore.

Tanelus also flexes a track and field background, posting an 11.82 100-meter dash and 16-11.5 high jump as a junior.

Colorado is Tanelus's first registered offer since committing to Duke, so it will be fascinating if the all-purpose back begins changing his tune from Durham to Boulder.

The Buffs are in desperate need of life at running back. Colorado missed its big swing, top-50 2026 recruit KJ Edwards, to the Texas A&M Aggies. Currently, five scholarship talents make up a room coached by NFL Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk: Dallan Hayden, Micah Welch, DeKaylon Taylor, Simeon Price and Charlie Offerdahl.

Since Sanders' hiring, the run game has been one of Colorado's biggest weaknesses. Subpar run blocking has been one of its causes, but there hasn't been talent at the position to make up for faulty trenches. The Buffs lost their leading rusher in 2024, Isaiah Augustave, to the transfer portal last April.

Now, coaching will enter the spotlight as offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has outwardly shifted his offensive focus to balance. Faulk's first coaching job will be no easy task, as Colorado will need reliability on the ground with unproven talent scattered throughout the offense.

Running backs are under pressure to improve, regardless of how new quarterbacks Kaidon Salter and Julian Lewis turn out. There's depth at receiver, but still uncertainty, so finding difference makers on the ground will be a top priority.

Thankfully, Colorado will likely add a layer to its offense not seen with Sanders under center. Salter is an elite dual-threat, racking up over 2,000 rushing yards in his career. The zone-read would keep defenders on skates and open up opportunities for tailbacks like Hayden, Welch and Taylor to eat up yardage through the middle.