The Colorado football team is in the middle of a very crucial offseason before Deion Sanders goes into his second year leading the program. The Buffaloes started off this past season hot as they were 3-0 and ranked in the top 25, but a brutal 1-8 finish to the year left them with a 4-8 record and a last place finish in the Pac-12. Colorado still has a lot of faith in Sanders as the team had a completely different vibe to it, but they need to be better next season.

One thing that Deion Sanders has brought to the Colorado football team is recruiting the transfer portal, but high school recruiting has to be better. Players want to play for Coach Prime, and that is why he was able to bring in so many transfers last year. The Buffaloes are recruiting at a much better level now in that regard, and one of their four-star targets out of high school, TJ Lateef, has narrowed his options down to seven schools, according to a tweet from Hayes Fawcett.

“NEWS: Four-Star QB TJ Lateef (2025) is down to 7 Schools!” Fawcett said. “The 6’2 195 QB from Orange, CA is ranked as a Top 5 QB in California.”

Those seven schools that Lateef is considering are Colorado football, Auburn, Florida State, Ole Miss, Arizona, Georgia and Texas A&M.

TJ Lateef is a four-star quarterback according to 247 Sports. He is the #237 player in the 2025 class, the #19 QB and the #22 player in the state of California. He currently attends Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California. This would be a great pickup for the Colorado football team.

Colorado needs to land a big recruit like this. Their 2024 recruiting class is not good right now. It is ranked #106 in the country and they have just six commits. The 2025 cycle is very early and they haven't landed a recruit in it yet, but it certainly has to be better than the 2024 class.

Next season is going to be a big one in Boulder. Coach Prime has once again brought in some good transfers, but they need to make the on-field product work. He and the Buffaloes can't afford another 4-8 season, and making a bowl game next year is an expectation.