Deion Sanders Takes NFL-Like Approach To Recruiting At Colorado With Invite-Only, Showcase-Style Summer Camp

Deion Sanders and Colorado are taking a step into the future of college football this summer. Well, really it's the present, but the Buffaloes are taking a different approach to recruiting that is not the norm within the sport.

Deion Sanders is looking to acquire the best talent, period.(Photo by Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

The transfer portal is more important than ever in today's era. Player movement has reached a level that has never been seen before.

As a result, there is an opportunity for coaches to forgo traditional high school ranks in favor of players who already have experience on the collegiate level. Why use a roster spot on a three-star recruit who needs time to develop when you can go out and get a former three-star recruit who has already developed at another program?

While that example may not be applicable across the board, it sparks an interesting conversation.

Coaches like Lane Kiffin and Lincoln Riley have proved the value of the portal. Building a roster of transfer portal players can provide an instant turnaround. There is a wealth of talented players with experience who can plug and play into a starting lineup right away.

Sanders, who was hired by his new program in December, largely went that route with his first recruiting class. Colorado added 26 transfers and just 19 recruits.

Now, as the focus shifts toward 2024, the Buffaloes' staff is taking a similar approach. They are putting as much emphasis on the portal as the high school ranks, if not more.

To get a pulse on available talent, college football programs hold scouting camps for recruits.

Colorado will do the same. It's nothing new.

However, Deion Sanders is doing things a little bit differently.

Where most programs hold a camp for high schoolers over the summer, Boulder will host a 'Summer Post-Graduate Camp.' It is open to high schoolers, junior college transfers and players in the transfer portal.

The latter two are not normally invited to college camps, but Sanders and Colorado are embracing the present state of the sport and the importance of acquiring the best talent from all available areas. It's a unique and modern approach to recruiting.

The Buffaloes are essentially holding an NFL Combine-style showcase for high school, Juco and transfer players. And not just anyone will get an invitation.

All three questionnaires ask for:

From there, Sanders and his staff will reach out to the players that they are interested in. It will be a selective process just to attend the camp, and even that doesn't guarantee anything more than an invite!

No other school (to my knowledge) is holding a camp of this caliber or structure. High schoolers, juco transfers, and transfer portal players will be on the field together, going through a gauntlet of drills intended to find the best athletes to play for the Buffaloes.

Colorado is on the rise and Coach Prime is doing things his way. The only questions left are whether his way will work and how long it will take to work if it does!