Colorado’s 2025 season never got going from the start. The QB room remained an issue for Coach Prime throughout, but a consistent headache was the Buffs’ defense. That was a problem even when they finished 9-3 in the 2024 season. Colorado’s inability to stop the run meant that teams came to Boulder and just ran it down the throats of the home team. Deion Sanders is now looking at the portal to fix their defensive woes, and one DL seems like a good get.

Appalachian State defensive lineman Dylan Manuel is set to visit Boulder this weekend amid the Buffaloes’ frantic transfer portal scramble. He was an absolute menace to deal with in the 2025 season, terrorizing the Sun Belt quarterbacks with 37 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 12 quarterback hurries. These statistics scream just one thing—an immediate impact for a unit in tatters.

The 2025 season for the Buffaloes ended in a really abysmal way. Their opponents racked up over 300 points across 12 games, and the interior line collapsed, with more than 20 players exiting the program through the transfer portal. This left Deion Sanders’ squad vulnerable to every ground-and-pound scheme in the Big 12 Conference. Losses piled up like debris in space, including big losses like 53-7 against the Utah Utes and 52-17 against the Arizona Wildcats.

The addition of Manuel can be a real game-changer. His journey adds to the drama. From Stockbridge High, where he was able to amass 86 tackles, 28 TFLs, and 11 sacks in his senior year, Manuel burst onto the FCS scene at Charleston Southern with 15 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, and 2 sacks as a true freshman, earning second-team Freshman All-American honors.

For Colorado, starving for trench warfare after the portal bloodletting, Manuel won’t just be an average signing; he’s, as most people would say, salvation. Moreover, he is not the only DL visiting Boulder this week.

Three other defensive linemen set to visit Colorado

Deion Sanders has already lost a linebacker, Mantrez Walker, who entered the transfer portal at the end of the season. Around 25 players in total have reportedly entered the portal, making way for a mass exodus. However, the portal will also introduce enhancements to the program. Along with Manuel, Georgia Southern transfer MJ Stroud is also set to visit on January 6.

Stroud had a first-team All-Sun Belt season last year. Along with Colorado, Michigan State, and West Virginia are also in line to get the player off the portal, and there’s a reason why. As a redshirt junior, Stroud accumulated 33 total tackles. That also included 15.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles. Then there’s New Mexico State’s Ezra Christensen.

Christensen started his college career at San Diego Mesa College. Since then, he has also featured for Fresno State. In the 2025 season, he played for New Mexico State. The DL player boasts extensive experience, having recorded 42 tackles, 11 TFLs, six sacks, and a forced fumble during the 2025 season. Just like Stroud, there are several other Power 4 teams in the hunt to get him on their rosters. That includes Virginia, Washington, UCF, Minnesota, Kentucky, and Duke.

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The fourth player who’ll take a visit to Boulder is Mercer’s Andrew Zock. In the 2025 season, he earned Phil Steele’s FCS Defensive Player of the Year honor after amassing 46 tackles, 20 TFLs, 11.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and four pass breakups.

Deion Sanders may not have all four players in the 2026 season, but the fact that Colorado is hosting them means the program is serious about fixing the trenches.