The 2024-25 offseason has been another eventful one for Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes, a sentiment that has been especially true in the transfer portal. While the Buffaloes have their fair share of players leaving this offseason, they have also made quite the splash in the portal to compensate for those losses. Here’s a look at the outgoing and incoming transfer players for CU in the new year, along with some players who could potentially bring their talents to Boulder in the coming weeks of the portal.
Outgoing Transfers
Nikhai Hill-Green, LB, Alabama
Hill-Green is the biggest loss for the Buffs in the portal this offseason. The former Michigan and Charlotte linebacker made his presence felt as the leader of Colorado’s defense this year, recording 82 total tackles and two sacks, along with two interceptions as he shined in all facets of the defense. The star linebacker committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide on Dec. 21 and was rated a four-star transfer recruit by 247Sports. He has one year of remaining eligibility.
Trevor Woods, LB, Uncommitted
Trevor Woods is another very impactful loss for the Buffs this offseason. Woods, the only remaining starter from the 1-11 team in 2022, had seen a dip in playing time during the 2024 season due to injuries and the emergence of Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig and Nikhai Hill-Green. In 2023, Woods recorded 56 total tackles along with half a sack, a forced fumble, and two interceptions in nine games. Woods has one year of remaining eligibility and as of right now, has not committed to a new school.
Johnny Chaney Jr., LB, Uncommitted
Chaney was a star in his first three years at Florida A&M but failed to make an impact on Colorado’s defense in his only season with the team in 2024. The senior linebacker appeared in just one game, recording one total tackle in the process. He has some value in the portal with the stats he recorded at FAMU from 2021 to 2023, as he recorded 108 total tackles in those three years. With one year of remaining eligibility, Chaney has not yet committed to a new school.
Ian Massey, S, Uncommitted
Ian Massey has not seen much action to this point in his college career. Despite being a senior, he has only recorded one tackle in college, and it came back in 2022 when he was playing for Oregon State. Massey spent just one season with the Buffs and has not yet committed to a new school, with one remaining year of eligibility.
Adonis Forrest Jr., S, Uncommitted
Forrest, similar to Massey, struggled to see the field in his one year with the Buffs. The junior didn’t record a stat in the 2024 season after being an enticing transfer from Eastern Illinois. He had originally played at the JUCO level before committing to the Panthers, where he appeared in just one game. He currently has one remaining year of eligibility and has yet to commit to a new school.
Dayon Hayes, EDGE, Texas A&M
Hayes spent just one year at CU after transferring from Pittsburgh, where he had spent the previous four years. While he didn’t see the same amount of action with the Buffs in 2024 that he did with Pitt the year prior, the 6’3” defensive end recorded 16 total tackles with two sacks in four games before suffering an injury and not recovering by the end of the season. Hayes, a three-star transfer prospect (247Sports), committed to Texas A&M for his final year of college football.
Rayyan Buell, DT, Memphis
Rayyan Buell played his first year as a Buffalo in 2024 after transferring from Ohio. He was coming off a breakout year there, as he recorded 30 total tackles and 4.5 sacks while appearing in 11 games. He saw little playing time this season, appearing in just three games and recording one tackle in each. He has one remaining year of eligibility and on Dec. 5, he announced his commitment to the Memphis Tigers.
Destin Wade, QB, North Alabama
Wade, a backup QB for the Buffs in 2024, spent just one year with the team as well. He had originally played at Kentucky, where he saw the only action of his career to date, throwing for 98 yards and two interceptions in the 2022 Music City Bowl against Iowa. He has two remaining years of eligibility and committed to the North Alabama Lions on Dec. 29.
Walter Taylor III, QB, Ball State
Taylor was another backup at QB for the Buffs in 2024 who, similar to Wade, spent just one year with the team and did not see the field. His only action in his college career came back in 2023 where he made occasional appearances for his former school – Vanderbilt. In that time, he recorded 44 passing yards with one interception. His most notable attribute, however, was his rushing ability, as he recorded 103 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. 247Sports has him listed as a three-star transfer prospect, and with two remaining years of eligibility, he committed to the Ball State Cardinals on Dec. 26.
Jordan Onovughe, WR, Stanford
Onovughe was formerly a member of Deion Sanders’ first high school recruiting class as the head coach of Colorado when he was a three-star recruit out of Santa Ana, California. In his only season with the Buffs, Onovughe would record just one reception for one yard against Arizona. Despite his lack of college stats, his youth and potential still garnered him some attention in the portal, and with three remaining years of eligibility, he committed to the Stanford Cardinal on Dec. 21.
Cordale Russell, WR, Miami (OH)
Russell was a former four-star recruit out of high school, with national recruiting expert Chris Singletary projecting him to be an eventual Power 4 starter. He spent 2023 at TCU, where redshirted before transferring to CU the following offseason. The 6-foot-4 receiver didn’t record a stat in his one year with the Buffs, and decided to enter the portal on Dec. 6. A few weeks later, on the 22nd, Russell committed to the Miami (OH) Redhawks, with three remaining years of eligibility.
Asaad Waseem, WR, Florida Atlantic
Waseem was also a member of Coach Prime’s first high school class at Colorado and was listed as a three-star recruit out of Ocoee, Florida. Waseem redshirted in 2023 and didn’t record a reception. In his second year with the Buffs, he would also fail to record a stat despite filling in for the injured Jimmy Horn at kick returner, and after these struggles to see playing time, elected to enter the portal. With three remaining years of eligibility, Waseem announced his commitment to the Florida Atlantic Owls on Dec. 16.
Morgan Pearson, TE, Uncommitted
Pearson, another three-star recruit in CU’s 2023 high school class, announced he’d be entering the transfer portal on Dec. 6 following two seasons with the Buffaloes. He redshirted in 2023 and didn’t end up seeing the field. He got some opportunities in 2024 with the injury to Sam Hart, but still failed to record a stat. As it currently stands, Pearson has not committed to a new school and is not rated as a recruit by 247Sports. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
Hank Zilinskas, C, Rutgers
Zilinskas had a fairly successful year for CU in 2023, playing in eleven games and starting in two. In that time, he allowed zero QB hits and just one sack on 104 attempts. In 2024, however, with the emergence of true freshman Cash Cleveland at the center position, Zilinskas was benched after he wasn’t able to fix his timing issues with Shedeur Sanders. This led him to enter the transfer portal with two remaining years of eligibility. 247Sports has him listed as a three-star transfer prospect and as it stands right now, he is yet to commit to a new school.
Payton Kirkland, OG, Miami (OH)
Kirkland was a transfer from Texas who spent his first and only season with the Buffs in 2024. Out of high school, he was a highly touted recruit, being listed as a four-star recruit and the 18th-ranked interior offensive lineman in the class of 2023. After redshirting at Texas for a year, he transferred to Colorado ahead of the 2024 season. However, he was never able to establish himself in the offensive line rotation and elected to enter the transfer portal with three remaining years of eligibility. On Dec. 22, the 6-foot-6, 350-pound guard announced his commitment to the Miami (OH) Redhawks.
Yakiri Walker, C, Memphis
Yakiri Walker had an interesting year with the Buffs in 2024, capped off with a social media post during the loss to Kansas that seemed to have an anti-Colorado meaning. The former three-star high school recruit found himself buried on the depth chart behind Cleveland and Zilinskas, and with one year of remaining eligibility, Walker elected to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 9. While he wasn’t rated by 247Sports, he still received some solid attention in the portal, and on Dec. 20, he announced his commitment to the Memphis Tigers.
Ethan Boyd, OG, Uncommitted
Boyd was another victim of a crowded interior offensive line room for the Buffs this season, and in his only year with the Buffs, he didn’t see the field. He had originally been a three-star recruit out of high school and committed to Michigan State, where he spent 2023 without seeing much of the field. He brings good size to the portal, standing at 6-foot-7 and weighing in at 320 lbs, with two years of eligibility remaining. As it currently stands, he hasn’t committed to a new school.
Tyler Johnson, OG, Uncommitted
The former class of 2019 four-star has struggled to find his footing so far at the college level. Johnson originally committed to Texas before transferring to Houston and eventually Colorado. He didn’t see the field much in his one year with the team and chose to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 10 with one remaining year of eligibility. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound guard is currently uncommitted to any other schools.
Kahlil Benson, OG, Indiana
Benson transferred to CU after spending his first four years at Indiana and played in nine games in 2024 while battling injuries. That was the first time since 2020 that he experienced injury issues, however, as he played in all 24 games in 2022 and 2023. Coming out of high school, 247Sports rated him as a three-star recruit, and the 22nd best recruit from the state of Mississippi. After entering the portal on Jan. 2, he quickly found a new landing spot as he announced he would be returning to the Hoosiers for the 2025, fresh off a College Football Playoff berth.
Incoming Transfers
Kaidon Salter, QB, Liberty
The biggest acquisition for the Buffs in the portal has arguably been Kaidon Salter, the former quarterback for the Liberty Flames. While CU made a splash in their recruiting by securing five-star prospect Julian Lewis, he is a quarterback of the future, as he is still very young (he is technically only halfway through his junior year of high school). Rather than throwing Lewis into the spotlight in his freshman year and risk stunting his development, Coach Prime and his coaching staff decided to acquire an experienced QB in Salter to lead the team – and compete with and mentor Lewis – next year. Salter has been a star at Liberty since taking over for Malik Willis in 2022, with 2023 being his best year. In that season, he threw for 2,876 yards with 32 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He added to this with an elite season on the ground, rushing for 1,089 yards and an additional 12 touchdowns, all of which he did while leading the Flames to an unbeaten record in the regular season and a Fiesta Bowl berth. Salter committed to Colorado on Dec. 18 and has one remaining year of eligibility.
Joseph Williams, WR, Tulsa
Joseph Williams is coming off of his Freshman season at Tulsa where he quickly made his impact felt for the Hurricane. The former three-star recruit recorded 588 yards and five touchdowns on just 30 receptions. He displayed big-play ability while at Tulsa as he averaged just under twenty yards per reception. Williams will be a player to watch out for in next season’s offense, as he could be poised for a similar breakout season to fellow group of five transfer receiver LaJohntay Wester. He flipped his commitment from Utah to Colorado on Dec 22 and has three years of eligibility remaining.
Zach Atkins, TE, Northwest Missouri State
The Buffs added some further depth to their offense with the addition of Northwest Missouri State tight end Zach Atkins. Atkins is rated by 247Sports as a three-star transfer prospect, coming off a season in 2024 where he recorded 179 receiving yards and three touchdowns in nine games played. 247Sports also ranked him as the 16th-best TE in the 2025 transfer class, and could finally be Pat Shurmur’s answer to the tight end woes that have plagued CU in the Prime era. With two remaining years of eligibility, he announced his commitment to CU on Dec. 17.
Aki Ogunbiyi, OT, Texas A&M
Colorado also made a major addition to their offensive line with the addition of Texas A&M transfer Aki Ogunbiyi. The former four-star high school recruit had been with the Aggies since 2020, and most recently appeared in three games in 2023. The tackle stands 6-foot-4 and 330 pounds, bringing some major size to a Colorado offensive line that still left much to be desired in 2025. 247Sports listed him as a three-star transfer prospect and ranked him as the 20th-best tackle in the 2025 transfer class. He has one remaining year of eligibility and announced his commitment on Dec. 23.
Gavriel Lightfoot, DT, Fresno State
Lightfoot is a towering interior defensive lineman from Fresno State, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 296 pounds. He was a rotational lineman for the Bulldogs in 2024, recording 37 total tackles as he was mostly utilized to stop the run. This addition addresses a serious need on the CU defense, as they allowed an average of 151.4 rushing yards per game in 2024, something which cost them in many close games this year. 247Sports listed Lightfoot as a three-star defensive lineman, and he announced his commitment to CU on Dec. 18. The Buffs will hope to see a breakout year from him in his last year of eligibility, as his run-stopping ability would go a long way in helping the Buffs win their first bowl game in 21 years.
Jehiem Oatis, DT, Alabama
To pair with Lightfoot, the Buffs brought in another high-profile defensive tackle in Alabama transfer Jehiem Oatis. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound lineman was a four-star recruit out of high school and spent his first three seasons at Alabama. In his first two years, he seemed like an emerging star, recording 55 total tackles and 1.5 sacks in his freshman and sophomore campaigns. However, under the new Alabama coaching regime in 2024, he struggled to see playing time and elected to opt out for the remainder of the season on Oct. 7, entering the transfer portal. He later announced his commitment to Colorado on Dec. 16 for his final year of eligibility.
Reginald Hughes, LB, Jacksonville State
Reginald Hughes spent 2024 as an outside linebacker at Jacksonville State after previously spending two quiet years at Ole Miss with little production. This past season, however, he saw a major uptick in playing time at his new school, and in 13 games, he recorded 83 total tackles with 32 unassisted, while also registering 4.5 sacks. He was a sparkplug in the Gamecocks defense, and his absence was a major reason they fell to Ohio in their bowl game, allowing 30 points in the process. His addition will go a long way in filling the gap left by Nikhai Hill-Green, so look out for him to be an emergent star on the new-look Buffaloes defense. He announced his commitment to Colorado on Dec. 17, and holds one remaining year of eligibility.
Kylan Salter, LB, TCU
Kylan Salter is the younger brother of the Buffs' newest QB addition, Kaidon Salter, and arrives in Boulder maintaining three years of eligibility after spending just one season at TCU. Salter appeared in two games in 2024, recording a solo tackle in each. Out of high school, Salter was listed by 247Sports as a three-star recruit and had visited Colorado in 2022. Being as young as he is, he will be someone to look out for in the next few years on Colorado’s defense with the potential he possesses.
Makari Vickers, CB, Oklahoma
Vickers, a Sophomore corner from Quincy, Florida, spent his first two years with the Oklahoma Sooners and is now pursuing a breakout campaign with Coach Prime and the Buffs. Vickers was a highly touted recruit out of high school, as 247Sports had him listed as a four-star recruit and the 23rd-best player from the state of Florida. Despite his high expectations coming into college, however, he has struggled to see playing time in his first two years. He recorded eight total tackles and four pass break-ups in 2023 but saw significantly less time on the field in his sophomore year. In 2024, he appeared in just one game, registering a single tackle and recording no other stats. He is still recognized as a very talented defensive back, with 247Sports listing him as a three-star transfer prospect. With Travis Hunter and possibly Preston Hodge being gone, the Buffs will look to Vickers to step up in their secondary to help fill those gaps. With two of eligibility remaining, Vickers announced his commitment to CU on Dec. 18.
Tawfiq Byard, S, USF
Tawfiq Byard was a big contributor for the South Florida defense in 2024, recording 54 total tackles, 34 of which were unassisted, along with two sacks. It was a breakout year for the sophomore who now looks to continue this success in the Colorado secondary that has shoes to be filled. 247Sports listed him as a three-star transfer prospect, but his impact for CU is likely to be felt in a much bigger way than that. He is a ball-hawking, hard-hitting safety and fits the mold of a Buffaloes safety that has been carved out over the past two years. He has time to grow in this defense as well with two remaining years of eligibility. He announced that he would be taking his talents to Boulder on Christmas Eve.
Damon Greaves, P, Kansas
Greaves is the latest in the wave of Australian punters making their way into American Football. He spent 2023 and 2024 with the Kansas Jayhawks, averaging 40.7 yards per punt in his two years. This past season, he boomed a career-long 58-yard punt against Illinois. Greaves is one of two special teams additions so far in this portal class and despite still having two remaining years of eligibility, he already has two seasons as a starter under his belt. Greaves announced his commitment to the Buffs on Dec. 20.
Buck Buchanan, K, Louisiana Tech
Buchanan will be entering his senior season in 2025 following somewhat of an up-and-down start to his career at Louisiana Tech. He was used in a rotational role in 2022 and 2023, making seven of his eleven field goal attempts in that time while also going 2/2 on his extra points. He was put into the starting role in 2024 but saw his fair share of struggles during the year. He went 13/20 on field goal attempts (65%) and 29-31 on extra points. Despite the struggles, he’s shown some major potential. He has some serious power, recording a career-long 57-yard field goal last season, and has also forced a fumble on a return. 247Sports listed him as a three-star transfer prospect and the fourth-ranked kicker in the class, and he announced he’d be taking his final year of eligibility to Colorado on Dec. 17.
Martavius French, LB, UTSA
French has been a two-year starter at UTSA and saw solid playing time in 2022. This past season, he recorded a whopping 80 total tackles, 52 of them unassisted. He also showcased his abilities in both pass rush and coverage in his time with the Roadrunners, registering 2.5 sacks and 7 pass breakups in three years. After visiting Colorado after the new year, he announced his commitment on Jan. 5.
Zarian McGill, OG, Louisiana Tech
McGill adds some needed depth to the interior offensive line for CU. He brings his final year of eligibility to Boulder after spending his first five college seasons at Jones College (JUCO), UL-Monroe, and Louisiana Tech. After transferring from UL-Monroe (where he played over 1,500 snaps) he was named a second-team all-Sun Belt honoree in his junior season with the Bulldogs. In his 2024 campaign, he received an overall PFF grade of 69.9 in his 429 snaps played, with 247Sports listing him as a three-star transfer prospect.
Tavian Coleman, DL, Texas State
Tavian Coleman has been a rotational player in his two stops at Utah State and Texas State but has consistently recorded 25+ total tackles in three years at the FBS level. More than his run-stopping ability, however, he has showcased his ability to rush the passer, recording 6.5 sacks and a forced fumble in that time. His visit to CU took place on Jan. 2 and he announced his commitment to the Buffs on Jan. 8.
Zy Crisler, OG, Illinois
Zy Crisler is an interior offensive lineman standing 6-foot-6, 335 pounds. He spent his first season at a JUCO and then transferred to Illinois in 2022, where he was named a two-time All-Big 10 Honorable Mention, starting 30 games in the process. With his size, he can move to any position on the offensive line, and seeing as Colorado is still left with some question marks on that front, he would provide some major assistance for them. He visited CU on Jan. 3 and committed to Colorado on Jan. 8.
Manai Taimani, OT, Ole Miss
The Buffs continued their offensive line focus in the portal by landing a commitment from three-star (247Sports) tackle prospect Mana Taimani. Taimani announced his commitment promptly after his visit on Jan. 10, committing over the likes of West Virginia, which he visited earlier in the week. Taimani originally played at Wyoming from 2020-2021, appearing in eleven games. He then elected to look for more starting time by going the JUCO route and transferring to Diablo Valley College. He became a three-star JUCO recruit following the 2022 season and committed to Ole Miss over Auburn and Oklahoma State. He’s primarily been a contributor on special teams for the Rebels the last two years, appearing in 16 games from 2023-2024. With one remaining year of eligibility, he hopes to join the starting offense at CU and help protect the Buffs’ new generation of quarterbacks.
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