Well, Deion Sanders must now be fighting a feeling of emptiness. That’s because he is now left with an empty nest after his sons left for the pro league. Plus, he must be replaying the mishaps of the 2025 NFL Draft that he did not expect to witness even in his wildest dreams. Amidst all this gloom, Deion receives some news that is surely going to uplift his mood. To him, the transfer portal has been too traumatic in the past. Thanks to his former player, Cormani McClain, and how he dragged Coach Prime through the mud. Unfortunately, Deion is not going to get over the transfer portal trauma anytime soon. Here comes some upsetting news, as Colorado lost the race to land the commitment from a star offensive lineman. Does this rob Deion of all hope? No. After all, the Buffaloes now have some unfinished business with 5-Star Xavier Griffin. 

Like other programs, Deion’s Colorado had to go through a tough phase. In this cycle of the transfer portal, they lost 14 players. The Buffs even lost four players who had hit the exit door in one single day. But as we all know, Deion is not someone who would sit idly to pester over the losses. With this, Coach Prime flipped the script and now owns 26 transfer portal commitments. His haul also consists of three 4-stars. This immediately boosted Colorado’s incoming transfer class to rank at No. 30 nationally and No.2 in the Big 12 Conference. But guess what? Deion is likely far from finished building his 2025 transfer class. But the universe had other plans. Their hot target Kansas State offensive lineman star, Brandon Sneh, committed to UAB on May 17.

The 6-foot-7 and 320-pound phenom began his collegiate career at DII Elizabeth City State before transferring to Wagner in 2024. Playing for just one season in the FCS, he transferred to Kansas State in January, only to jump into the portal this spring. Now, was it an easy chase for Deion to bring home Sneh? No way. Since re-entering the portal, he was hailed by Southern Miss, UAB, Missouri State, North Texas, Akron, Washington State, and New Mexico State. But the desperation for Deion to land Sneh was building up. After all, the wheels of the Buffs’ offensive linemen’s room fell off. Zechariah Owens was the latest addition to the linemen exodus who broke the Colorado ties. 

The list (winter and spring combined) also includes Jay Gardenhire, Cash Cleveland, Kahlil Benson, Hank Zilinskas, Ethan Boyd, Tyler Johnson, Yakiri Walker, and Payton Kirkland. Deion had some kind of hope that Sneh would choose them. That’s because after Sneh’s official visit in January, he tweeted, “Had a great official visit at CU@DeionSanders #AGTG #SkoBuffs #TicketNow.” So Coach Prime must have already been envisioning Sneh filling the void that Deion’s squad must be feeling at the moment.

He possesses elite measurables at 6’7 and an 84-inch wingspan. Talking about his numbers on the gridiron? The Philadelphia native posted an 81 pass blocking grade and a 72.4 run blocking grade on Pro Football Focus. This commitment would have been the perfect boost for Deion to whitewash this image. Sneh allowed a single sack last season, whereas Shedeur was the most sacked QB for the second year in a row. However, it will be wise for Deion to move on and focus on his next assignment.

Deion Sanders wasted no time in rolling out the red carpet

While most of the players are decommitting out of their own will, things are a bit different for Griffin. The 5-star recruit out of  Gainesville High School chose USC as it checked multiple boxes. The influx of coaches with the NFL tags in the Trojans’ defensive staff aligned perfectly with his long-term plans. However, the young chap had to tap on the ‘EXIT’ button. That’s because Lincoln Riley has become very particular about his players after losing 28 players to the transfer portal. Analyst Tim Prangley gave a better view of the current situation. “USC is going with this new approach of like, ‘When you commit, that’s it. We don’t want you taking any more visits.’”

However, Griffin has shown his desire to schedule official visits elsewhere and thus had to pull his pledge from USC. That’s when Deion seized the golden chance. On May 16, Colorado dished out an offer to Griffin. But will this be an easy chase? Deion Sanders will now be running the race with veterans like Kalen DeBoer and Kirby Smart. Well, any day Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs will be a top priority given their historic past plated with gold.

Griffin is expected to take several official visits this summer, most notably to Tuscaloosa on June 6. And what about Georgia? Well, Deion’s task will now be to woo Griffin, who hails from Gainesville, Georgia, and might choose to stay close to home. It’s time for the Buffs HC to drink in some Red Bull and get into the field, pulling off a celebrity treatment just like they did for Julian Lewis. Can we expect another burger named after Griffin?