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The Prime Effect is still taking hold in Colorado, but it might take a while for it to resonate with the top prep football commits inside the Box State.
As the early signing period for the 2022 class of college football recruits began Wednesday, a familiar theme emerged as high school players in Colorado made their official pledges.
A mass exodus.
After two of the state’s top-15 recruits in the state flipped their commitments — Regis Jesuit’s Hayden Moore from Nebraska to Michigan, and fellow Raider Andrew Metzger from Colorado to Kansas State — all eyes are now on Cherry Creek’s Blake Purchase.
The four-star edge rusher, rated the top recruit in the state by per 247Sports.com’s composite rankings, verbally committed to Oregon earlier this year. But he remained unsigned as of Wednesday morning.
If CU Buffs coach Deion Sanders, aka Coach Prime, can somehow get Purchase to flip, it would mark the first time the program successful recruited Colorado’s top-rated prep football player since 2017 (Pomona’s Jake Moretti).
The state’s other two four-star recruits — Durango offensive lineman Joshua Bates (Oklahoma) and Vista Ridge quarterback Brayden Dorman (Arizona) — are officially headed elsewhere. And only two of the top-15 recruits in 247Sports.com’s composite rankings are staying in state: Cherry Creek center Hank Zilinskas (CU) and Valor Christian offensive lineman Tanner Morley (CSU).
Here’s a list of Colorado preps who signed letters of intent or are verbally committed to play for FBS or FCS programs as of Wednesday, as well as those who have announced commitments to the Air Force Academy:
| Player | School | Pos. | Stars* | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
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| Ishmael Aceves | Mullen | LB | N/A | New Mexico State |
| Jackson St. Aubyn | Palmer Ridge | OL | *** | Yale |
| Joshua Bates | Durango | OL | **** | Oklahoma |
| Chase Brackney | Cherry Creek | DE/OLB | *** | Iowa |
| Logan Brantley | Cherry Creek | LB | *** | Kansas |
| Ismael Cisse | Cherry Creek | WR | *** | Stanford |
| Brayden Dorman | Vista Ridge | QB | **** | Arizona |
| Silas Evans | George Washington | WR | *** | Colorado State |
| Tai Faavae | Fountain-Fort Carson | LB | *** | Washington State |
| Zachary Henning | Grandview | OL | *** | Washington |
| Brandon Hills | Vista Ridge | WR | *** | Washington State |
| Marcellus Honeycutt | George Washington | ATH | N/A | Eastern Washington+ |
| Cole LaCrue | Broomfield | QB | *** | Wisconsin+ |
| Andrew Metzger | Regis Jesuit | TE | *** | Kansas State |
| Hayden Moore | Regis Jesuit | LB | *** | Michigan |
| Tanner Morley | Valor Christian | OL | *** | Colorado State |
| Bryce Olson | Fossil Ridge | K | N/A | Air Force^ |
| Blake Purchase | Cherry Creek | OLB | **** | Oregon+ |
| KJ Smedley | Palmer Ridge | ATH | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Ethan Thomason | Rocky Mountain | OL | *** | Brigham Young+ |
| Tell Wade | Wyoming | DE | N/A | Wyoming |
| Hank Zilinskas | Cherry Creek | OL | *** | Colorado |
| * 247sports.com composite rankings | ^ Air Force commits do not sign letters of intent | + Verbal commitment | ||||
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