When a high school cornerback flips on Must Be the Money after announcing his college commitment, you already know he’s not your average DB. And when that same kid starts talking about Deion Sanders like he’s quoting scripture, you realize—he didn’t just commit to Colorado. He committed to a legacy. Four-star Preston Ashley didn’t just choose the Buffs. He made it personal.

On Tuesday, the four-star cornerback from Brandon, Mississippi, made his dream come true. Preston Ashley committed to the Colorado Buffaloes, choosing Deion Sanders’ squad over traditional titans Florida and Florida State. Ashley’s connection to Coach Prime runs deep—like childhood bedroom poster deep. Ashley, the No. 249 overall prospect in the 2026 class and the ninth-best player in Mississippi, made his decision after a final visit to Boulder. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound corner wasted no time in letting the world know just how personal this was.

On June 25, he joined Colorado insider Phillip Dukes on the Dukethescoop podcast and peeled back the curtain on how Deion Sanders shaped him. “I mean, I never been a big guy looking at somebody else,” Ashley started, “because I—my biggest, my biggest comparison is Preston Ashley. Because I—it’s me versus me every day.”

That’s when the mask came off, and the story got real. “But if I’m being genuinely honest with you, when I was a kid, I loved me some Deion Sanders. I’ma be 100% honest with you. This poster right here to the left, you see it? What number I’m wearing? 21. And then when I—and then I think I wore 21 for two years, and then I found out that he wore number 2 at Florida State, so I changed my number to number 2. And then my last year, I wore 21. I always wore a durag over my head.” Ashley even flashed a childhood photo during the podcast—mini Presto rocking Deion’s iconic No. 21.

Then he started dissecting Sanders’ on-field genius. “I just—I took from Coach Prime’s game just, you know, trust your speed. Trust your speed,” he explained. “It might look like he was burnt, but he—he was toying with the quarterback. He made it look like he was open so he could make a play on the ball.” Ashley’s breakdown was part football seminar, part confession—he’s building his game on the Prime blueprint, with a heavy dose of his own sauce.

Ashley’s instincts are elite, and it shows. Last season, he posted 68 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, and a pick. His Brandon High squad went 12-2 and made it to the MHSAA Class 7A title game. He’s also a return game weapon—explosive, fearless, and built for highlight reels. ESPN ranks him as the No. 12 cornerback in the country. And his ceiling? The sky’s the limit.

What makes Ashley even more dangerous is how perfectly he slots into Colorado’s vision. He’s a hybrid DB with cornerback instincts and nickelback physicality—Deion’s bread and butter. His play style? Flashy, disruptive, and wildly confident.

Preston Ashley keeps it real on what stood out at the Boulder visit—and how his dad shaped his decision

So what made Boulder feel like more than just another campus? It wasn’t just the mountains or the gear or the cameras. Ashley gave it to Dukes straight: “Just the relationship. Coach Phillips, Coach Box, Coach Livingston. I hear from them every day. And my dad always told me, ‘Go where they love you, not where you’re liked.'”

That line from his dad hit harder than any recruiting pitch. Ashley admitted he wanted to commit before his visit, but said, “I’m such a visual guy… if I see it, it’s a different thing.” Once he laid eyes on Boulder—the campus, the vibe, the fit in the defense—he knew. And yes, there were tears. “I just started crying before I committed because I was like, ‘This is the place.'”

Ashley saw more than photo ops and highlight clips. He saw a defensive scheme tailor-made for his game. Coach Livingston, who runs the Buffs’ defense, showed how he uses versatile DBs to make splash plays. That was music to Ashley’s ears. “I’m a flashy guy—I wear grills, bandanas. And the media-part aspect of it was a check on my box. Just everything about Colorado was a check.”

And of course, there’s the mentorship factor. Who wouldn’t want to be coached by Kevin Mathis, a 10-year NFL vet, and Deion Sanders, the cornerback blueprint himself? Ashley said it best: “Why not want to get coached by Coach Kevin Mathis? Why not want to get coached by the greatest player in my eyes to ever play football—Coach Deion Sanders?”

Ashley didn’t just commit. He announced and celebrated. Surrounded by family and friends back home in Mississippi, he capped his decision by declaring, “Presto Money, a Colorado Buffalo! Hit that thing for me, dawg.” Cue the beat drop: Deion’s anthem Must Be the Money blared, and Ashley danced like a kid who’d just stepped into his destiny.

Colorado didn’t just get a four-star corner. They got a storyteller. A showman. A dawg who believes in more than stars or stats. Preston Ashley isn’t just betting on Boulder. He’s betting on himself—with a little help from his childhood hero.