Coach Prime’s New OT Confirms Shedeur Sanders’ Major Role Behind Drastic Career Decision After Leaving G5 Program

Coach Prime’s pull is strong, but it’s the success of former players that really sells the dream. For Josiah Manu, the 2026 offensive tackle who just left San Jose State in the rearview, the decision was about more than just a change of scenery. Watching the Buffs star Shedeur Sanders put together back-to-back 3,000+ yard passing seasons at Colorado and then make the leap to the NFL showed Manu that Boulder can be a launchpad for him as well. That kind of production and exposure was hard to ignore.

“Honestly, I would say the level of competition & coaching staff is the biggest thing. They’ve got a lot of great coaches over there & I keep seeing stuff about ex-Buff players just performing so well in the NFL as well,” Manu told BuffStampede.

Colorado now sits at 11 commits for the ’26 class, with Manu adding much-needed size and depth to the offensive line.

This is a developing story…