Colorado Buffaloes To Land 4-Star Defensive Line Recruit Over Bill Belichick?

Umu-Cais posted on his X account his top five schools which feature the Colorado Buffaloes, UCLA Bruins, North Carolina Tar Heels, Washington Huskies, and the Oklahoma Sooners. He recently had an official visit with the Buffaloes, and while Sanders was not present, the four-star recruit was impressed with what he saw. Seeing the way the staff stepped up while Sanders was unable to be there stood out to Umu-Cais.

“I did not have a player host because me and the other recruits hung out with Coach [Domata] Peko and some of the staff members. What really surprised me was how the rest of the staff picked up and ran it with [Deion] ‘Coach Prime’ [Sanders] not being present,” Umu-Cais told 247Sports.

Umu-Cais is a talented, physical athlete. In 2024, he helped lead his team to 13 wins and a 5A state championship with 75 tackles. The four-star recruit would fit right in with the Colorado Buffaloes, who had a top defense in 2024. Colorado led the Big 12 in sacks and tackles for loss in 2024.

While Colorado does have the edge with him being an in-state recruit, it is a tight matchup between Umu-Cais’ top five programs. He has had an official visit with each and believes all five programs could help get him into the NFL.

The Colorado Buffaloes are coached by an NFL Hall of Famer and have a staff with former professional players on the coaching staff as well. The Buffaloes had one first-round draft pick in 2025 and had four players overall drafted. Since Sanders joined Colorado ahead of the 2023 season, he has helped turn the program around and understands how to develop players.

While the Colorado Buffaloes have Sanders, the North Carolina Tar Heels have coach Bill Belichick, who coached six Super Bowl winning seasons with the New England Patriots. Sanders and Belichick have been battling this recruiting cycle, both also targeting three-star defensive line recruit Manoah Faupusa.

The Colorado Buffaloes have received four commitments from the class of 2026. The program is ranked No. 105 in the nation and last in the Big 12, but as the team picks up steam the rankings can change.

The top Colorado commit is four-star safety Preston Ashley, the only four-star recruit so far. The other commits are from three-star recruits, tight end Gavin Mueller, defensive lineman Domata Peko Jr., and cornerback Maurice Williams.

The Colorado Buffaloes may not have many commitments, but Sanders prefers to play his incoming recruits in their first year. This results in him bringing in fewer recruits, but talented players. If Umu-Cais were to commit to the Buffaloes, he could have the opportunity to see the field quickly and make an immediate impact.