Colorado is 3–7, 1–6 in the Big 12, and looking every bit like a program stuck in the mud. The numbers are ugly but the mood is even uglier. But amid whispers of exit door, Deion Sanders sends out a signal that sounds a whole lot like he’s not done yet. And that signal came from the one place where truth always leaks and that’s recruiting.

Because if you’re hunting 2026 talent, odds are you’re planning on sticking around to coach it. And that’s exactly what Deion Sanders did this week, shifting the Buffaloes’ spotlight toward one name – JUCO guard Jonah Rodriguez out of Southwestern College. 

“Had an amazing time in Boulder!!” he posted on X on November 20, sharing a photo smiling next to Coach Prime and another shot of Folsom Field. “Thanks for showing me around!!”

The 6’3”, 267-pound interior lineman is a top-50 JUCO prospect, formerly committed to San Diego State. Now it’s Colorado and Cal pushing the hardest.

This week is a chance for Deion Sanders to make lasting impressions. 

“I’m going to take a mid-week visit to Colorado Wednesday through Friday,” Jonah Rodriguez told Rivals. “Colorado was on my list back in high school and I liked them, but I never made it out for a visit, so this will be my first time.” 

In a year full of losses, this felt like movement. Colorado needs that movement desperately. Losing 4-star tight end Gavin Mueller to Miami knocked their class from No. 76 to No. 87. Only two 4-stars remain, Carson Crawford and Preston Ashley, carrying a recruiting class that’s been wobbling for weeks. And every wobble adds more fuel to the Deion-exit rumor machine.

The truth is Colorado’s issues start where every good team starts. Up front. Ranking bottom nationally in scoring offense (108th), scoring defense (107th), yards per play (107th), and yards per play allowed (108th), it’s not a mystery why the climb stalled. Without Jordan Seaton and Larry Johnson III, Colorado’s line became a turnstile. Maybe Jonah Rodriguez isn’t just a visit. He could be an SOS. But before anyone writes Deion Sanders’ Boulder obituary, another fireplug of a storyline hits the tape. 

The noise around Deion Sanders’ future gets louder

Utah crushed Colorado 53-7. Arizona followed with 52-17. Losses like that echo. And when the outside noise starts matching the inside noise, trouble’s brewing. 

“There’s a part of me that wonders when the regular season ends, does Deion Sanders potentially walk away?” OutKick’s Trey Wallace poured gasoline on the rumors on November 19. “I’m not saying it will. I’m just saying this has been such a disaster this year. That was kind of going to be the case when you lose stars like that. But we’re not just talking about one or two positions here.”

A Big 12 GM didn’t hold back either. 

“There wasn’t a ton of production,” he said. “They took a bunch of Power 4 big names, big-star guys and they put them in with the expectation that they were going to have big jumps. And they just didn’t.” 

Then came the cryptic message from Deiondra Sanders where she preached about the willingness of letting go to have the life you want. When family posts go philosophical, fans go paranoid. But Rick George, the man who hired Deion Sanders, still doubled down on the HC’s future saying he’s “committed” in Boulder. And if Colorado’s AD is still vouching, maybe the exit isn’t coming at all. Because recruiting doesn’t lie. And the Buffs HC is still recruiting like a man who plans to finish what he started.