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Colorado Makes Move for No. 1 Recruit in College Football

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Borba | Last updated May 21, 2025 12:01 AM ET

Whether fans around college football realize it or not, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has landed a five-star recruit in every class dating back to 2022.

Two-way star Travis Hunter (2022) got the ball rolling when he committed to Sanders at Jackson State, corner Cormani McClain (2023) was his first in Boulder, offensive tackle Jordan Seaton (2024) marked his first non-skill position five-star and Julian Lewis (2025) was the first five-star quarterback he landed.

With just one high school commit in Colorado's 2026 class, Sanders and company appear to be getting aggressive on the transfer portal. They have recently been linked to five-star wide receiver Cederian Morgan and linebacker Xavier Griffin, and on Tuesday evening, sent out an offer to the top player in the class, Zion Elee.

I have received an offer from The University of Colorado @CUBuffsFootball @SFAfootball_MD pic.twitter.com/00F91gDH4u
— Zion Elee (@D1zion26) May 21, 2025

For his junior season, Elee transferred to East Coast powerhouse, St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. According to On3's recruiting rankings, Elee ranks as the No. 1 player in the class and is ranked as a top-two recruit on all but one of the four major sites.

While he has around 40 offers from programs such as Texas, Ohio State, Alabama and Auburn, Elee is currently committed to Mike Locksley and the Maryland Terrapins.

This past season at St. Frances Academy, 247Sports credited Elee with 56 total tackles, 28 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks, seven pass breakups and three forced fumbles.

It's unclear at this time if Elee's recruitment is truly shut down, as he took a trip to Auburn earlier this month, but fans have learned not to count Sanders and the Buffs out until pen is put to paper.

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

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