Colorado, Deion Sanders Bested by Rival Big 12 Team in Recruiting Battle

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nate Lunak | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 5:30 PM ET

The Colorado Buffaloes and coach Deion Sanders have slowly put together a 2026 recruiting class, which currently has only eight commits and ranks No. 16 in the Big 12 and No. 75 in the nation.

However, one big name they were in the mix for was wide receiver Jordan Clay out os San Antonio, Texas, who had named the Buffaloes, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Baylor Bears as his final three schools.

Unfortunately for Sanders, though, Clay told On3's Hayes Fawcett on Friday that he's committing to the Bears to play with coach Dave Aranda.

BREAKING: Four-Star WR Jordan Clay has Committed to Baylor, he tells me for @rivals

The 6’4 200 WR from San Antonio, TX chose the Bears over Colorado and Oklahoma

Baylor lands 2 Top 100 Recruits in back-to-back days https://t.co/bnKatxnjOP pic.twitter.com/ld3TfNdFk8
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 11, 2025

It's undoubtedly an exciting development for Baylor, as On3 Industry Rankings place him as a four-star recruit, the No. 13 wide receiver, the No. 14 player in Texas and the No. 94 player in the nation.

Last season, Clay put up some solid numbers for James Madison High School, accumulating 41 receptions, 900 yards and five touchdowns, while also recording an interception on defense.

Clay now becomes the 16th commitment that Baylor and Aranda have landed in this year's cycle, with their group now ranking No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 29 in the nation.

What makes this loss sting a bit extra for Colorado and Sanders is that this was a serious chance to land their first wide receiver in the 2026 class, as their only pass catcher as of now is three-star tight end Gavin Mueller.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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