Deion Sanders may not be at Boulder, but he sure is making some neat recruiting wins. Colorado’s recruiting is taking a worrying turn, which means fans will celebrate every commitment that comes their way. His latest comes with a tinge of revenge against a program readily associated with Coach Prime. It took away a key member of Sanders’ front office, and now he seems to have one-upped it by scoring this important commit.

CBS Sports gave Colorado’s 2026 recruiting a 1 on its Panic Index. One of the most talked-about programs in recent times is sitting at the bottom of the class, which is not something you’d associate with Deion Sanders. It brings forward some worrying flaws to light because even the most famous faces from the NFL in college football are not able to bring much success in recruiting. However, no matter how slow that pace may be, Coach Prime seemed to have the last laugh. He scored a key commit in the 2026 class, who was part of FSU‘s future roster: OT Xavier Payne. This might be a tit-for-tat response to the Seminoles, as Mike Norvell poached a key member of the Buffaloes’ recruiting unit: Devin Rispress.

Rispress was Colorado’s Director of player personnel and high school relations. FSU flipped him in 2025, which dented Colorado’s recruiting efforts tremendously. When Rispress was at Boulder, he created a 2025 class that finished 35th in the class, and 2nd in the Big 12. In 2026, Deion Sanders’ class languishes at No. 96 and is 16th in the conference. Earlier, Rispress had a lot of warm words for Norvell. “If you’re looking for a coach to stroke your ego, FSU isn’t the place for you, but if you’re looking for a coach who loves you like a son and that’s going to push you to greatness, FSU is the place for you.” Rispress always had a strong association with FSU, and that aspiration finally materialized when Norvell made his offer.

Deion Sanders himself was the face of FSU, having played college football at Tallahassee. He surprisingly confirmed he wasn’t a “Nole,” despite the program having retired his jersey. Colorado and the Seminoles have some bad blood brewing between them. Or rather, FSU’s displeasure might be with just Sanders. After all, he did make away with Travis Hunter, who established himself as a phenom in gridiron football under Deion Sanders’ tutelage. FSU got back at him by stealing away a key staffer from him. And now, Coach Prime played his move by scoring a commit who was once part of Norvell’s already shaky 2026 recruiting class.

How Xavier Payne came to pick Deion Sanders

Norvell lost his grip on Xavier Payne before Deion Sanders re-established himself as a competitor. The OT committed to FSU in December 2024. However, he reopened his recruitment, which invited Coach Prime to knock it out of the park for Payne. This is an important win for Sanders because Colorado only offered the OT in May. Payne decommitted from FSU in June. And now, he’s ready to play for him at Boulder. Payne is a three-star prospect but is on the rise to be a notable player.

He stands at a colossal height of 6-7 and weighs 275 lbs, which makes him a lucrative addition to any program’s O-line. Syracuse’s Fran Brown was also another player who was amping up the efforts for Payne. Deion Sanders’ offer was so appealing that it compelled Payne, a Florida native, to truly consider a career at Boulder. “That’s just where I want to be. Everyone there has been to the league and that’s where I want to go. I want to play as early as possible and that’s the path they see for me,” he told Rivals.

Payne is not the only player with an FSU association Deion Sanders has at Colorado. He also hosts Hykeem Williams, Mike Norvell’s top recruit. The complex relationship between Coach Prime and FSU continues to develop, as the two continue to inflict damage on each other through personnel steals. Mike Norvell will now have to deal fill up the gap in his OT position in the 2026 class, which has consistently proved to be rocky. Sanders, on the other hand, is seeing some good come his way, finally making it into the top 100 classes with Payne’s commitment.