Colorado football has fallen on hard times, with more adversity to come in the form of a road meeting with No. 25 UCLA next Saturday. Head coach Deion Sanders must take the bye week to drastically change the team's defensive approach, though that does not solely refer to on-field preparation. There is also plenty of work to do on the recruiting battlefield.

Riley Pettijohn, the No. 3-ranked linebacker in the 2025 class, has narrowed his list of schools down to 12, according to On3.com's Hayes Fawcett. The Buffaloes are in the exclusive group that includes top-tier programs like Michigan, Florida State, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas.

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Colorado's Pac-12 foe (until 2024) and fellow defensively challenged squad USC, is also in the running for the impressive athlete. SMU is currently favored to land Pettijohn, based on the calculations of On3.com's recruiting prediction machine, but one cannot underestimate the power of Sanders' charm. He has secured commitments from elite talent such as Travis Hunter, so there are few recruiting hurdles he cannot leap over.

Pettijohn is the son of former Syracuse star and NFL defensive lineman Duke Pettijohn, and the remaining schools on his list will undoubtedly be heavily recruiting him. The Texas native recorded 42 tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks for McKinney High School last season. His high ceiling makes him a perfect candidate to lead a revamped Buffaloes defense down the road.

Deion Sanders knows he is a couple of impact players away from truly launching Colorado football into the upper echelon of the sport. He appears intent on reaching that status rather quickly, and a potential powerhouse in Riley Pettijohn increases the chances of it happening.