One season ago, Colorado football was built around Travis Hunter. They call him a generational player, a unicorn who logged 688 defensive snaps and 672 on offense. He became the only P4 player to clear 30 snaps on both sides of the ball in one season.

Hunter followed that workload by winning his second straight Paul Hornung Award, cementing himself as the nation’s most versatile player. While he was still doing that, Deion Sanders was already pointing to who he believed would follow. That vision has now taken a sharp SEC turn.

“Deion Sanders said Tennessee football’s latest transfer commit is ‘next’ after Travis Hunter in 2024,” Rocky Top Insider reported on X on January 18. 

During the 2024 season, Deion Sanders pulled redshirt freshman Isaiah Hardge into a video and made a direct comparison. He pointed to his gray jersey, the indicator Colorado used for two-way players, and delivered a message. 

“He’s a two-way player,” he said. “You only thought we had Travis? He’s next.” 

But on Sunday, Hardge committed to Tennessee out of the transfer portal, choosing to play for Josh Heupel, one of the highest-paid coaches in the SEC at roughly $9 million annually. He committed after a visit to Knoxville.

Isaiah Hardge arrived in Colorado with modest recruiting credentials. A 3-star prospect out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he ranked No. 1,062 nationally and No. 161 among WRs in the 2023 class.

He chose Deion Sanders and Colorado over Penn State, Pitt, and West Virginia, drawn by the head coach’s track record with two-way players and the promise of opportunity. His first season, however, was quiet. In 2023, he appeared in just three games, exclusively on special teams, preserving his redshirt.

The breakout came in 2024. Isaiah Hardge played in 11 games and saw snaps on offense, defense, and special teams. As a slot receiver, he logged 68 snaps and caught five passes for 37 yards, adding one rushing attempt. On defense, he played 97 snaps at cornerback, primarily against Arizona State and Kansas State, finishing the year with 14 tackles. He also flashed return ability, taking a punt back 17 yards and a kickoff 43 yards. 

The production was limited, but how he’s used told a clearer story about how Colorado viewed him. That expanded further in 2025. Across 11 games, Isaiah Hardge recorded six receptions for 76 yards, three rushes for eight yards, and made a bigger defensive impact with 20 total tackles, including a tackle for loss. 

Tennessee believes it can sharpen that projection. Isaiah Hardge said the Vols are recruiting him primarily as a defensive player, with a defined role at CB and nickel. 

“Just talking from the defensive coordinator, Coach Knowles, and Coach Hunter, they’ve got me in a role of cornerback, nickel flex,” he said. “So it’ll be that type of role, with special teams involved, as well, with [special teams coordinator Evan] Crabtree.”

For a player with two years of eligibility remaining, clarity matters, and Josh Heupel is offering it in contrast to a turbulent backdrop in Boulder.

Deion Sanders continues to build through the portal

For the second time under Deion Sanders, Colorado failed to reach bowl eligibility, finishing 3-9 overall and 1-8 in Big 12 play. The response has been predictable and aggressive. The Buffaloes have leaned heavily on the transfer portal, bringing in 42 players while losing 37, according to 247Sports. 

The latest addition is former Indiana CB Jah Jah Boyd, a redshirt freshman who committed on Sunday, per On3’s Pete Nakos. The 5’11, 173-pound DB appeared in six games for the Hoosiers, totaling eight tackles and a forced fumble. A 3-star recruit in the 2024 cycle, he ranked No. 140 at CB nationally. He chose Indiana over Penn State, Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Pitt and still has three years of eligibility.

Colorado’s urgency is understandable. In 2025, the Buffaloes ranked 112th nationally in points allowed per game at 30.5 and 123rd in total yards allowed at 425.7 per game. Boyd is now the fifth CB Deion Sanders has added via the portal, joining Jason Stokes, Emory Floyd, Cree Thomas, and Justin Eaglin. Stokes, a 6’2 transfer from Utah, brings system-heavy experience after appearing in 12 games as a true freshman under Kyle Whittingham. For Deion Sanders, the rebuild continues in bulk. 

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