Intriguing names if Colorado tries to expand Louisiana recruiting

Colorado generated some major buzz this spring by landed the commitment of [player_tooltip player_id='139261' first='Ju'Juan' last='Johnson'], one of Louisiana's top prospects for the 2024 class.   The Lafayette Christian star announced a pledge to the Buffaloes over in-state LSU, national champion Georgia, Florida and a long list of other options, positioning the program to potentially sign a player for the second straight cycle from the talent-rich state where it hasn't had much of a track record of recruiting success.   Colorado, now led by new coach Deion Sanders, added 2023 North Caddo receiver [player_tooltip player_id='138439' first='Omarion' last='Miller'] just a few weeks earlier.   The old cliche states that once is an accident or fluke, twice is a coincidence and three times is a pattern.   So the question quickly became if or when the Buffaloes would turn the notable recruiting victories of Miller and Johnson into a pattern in The Boot.   If Sanders and company were to not only hold onto Johnson, but add a second Louisiana native to their 2024 class, here are 12 interesting names who would make some of the most sense as candidates to join.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/5IfIlHXEmPQ </div></figure>   Lafayette Christian   Colorado wouldn't have to look far to pair another talented Louisiana prospect to Johnson in the class. Lafayette Christian has been one of the state's most consistently loaded teams in recent year, and the Knights have four prospects in the top 30 of Prep Redzone Louisiana's latest rankings. Defensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='285654' first='Melvin' last='Hills III'] (6-4, 265) joins Johnson in the top 10, followed by linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='421516' first='Sandy' last='Lewis'] (6-2, 235) in the top 20 and cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='145325' first='Ty' last='Lee'] (6-1, 180) in the top 30. The Buffaloes haven't made their move on any of those three yet, but they would make plenty of sense from the standpoints of both talent and the tightly knit relationships of the Lafayette Christian program. In particular, Johnson and Lee will visit Boulder, Colo., next week, and Johnson expressed a strong desire for that duo to stick together at the next level.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/-mLVGZMIOSs </div></figure>   Around Lafayette   The Lafayette area has enjoyed a strong run of college-level talent in recent years with student-athletes that have been notably connected and supportive across rivalry lines. Two of Louisiana's other top prospects in the 2024 class from the area are defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='421603' first='Dominick' last='McKinley'] (6-7, 270) of Acadiana and [player_tooltip player_id='285269' first='De'Myrion' last='Johnson'] (6-3, 280) of Westgate. Both hold a a slew of offers, including LSU and other SEC programs. But Colorado offered McKinley in January. And while LSU has signed some high-profile players out of Westgate, including wide receiver Kayshon Boutte in 2020, the past two cycles have seen tight end Danny Lewis and safety [player_tooltip player_id='138303' first='Derek' last='Williams Jr.'] leave the state for Alabama and Texas, respectively.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/c8OWWeFusMs </div></figure>     Cornerbacks   The opportunity to play for an NFL Hall-of-Famer in coach Deion Sanders piques lots of prospects' interest, but particularly those at Prime's primary position of cornerback. Louisiana's top-ranked cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='139477' first='Wardell' last='Mack'] (6-1, 180) of John Ehret currently holds an offer from Colorado and expressed interest in visiting to get a better look at and feel for the program under Sanders. Nearby, John F. Kennedy corner [player_tooltip player_id='285193' first='Bernard' last='Causey'] (6-0, 160) doesn't currently hold an offer from the Buffaloes, but has gained a ton of traction on the recruiting trail and would be another interesting, high-level athlete at the position who would make sense.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/PQXBnTXvjN4 </div></figure>   Underrated, but rising   Johnson spoke following his commitment announcement about how difficult pulling him out of Louisiana was because of his admiration for and relationships with the LSU program. Colorado managing to out-duel the Tigers for not only Johnson, but also another prospect high on their board — such as a Hills, McKinley or Mack — would be doubly impressive. But Louisiana has plenty of talented prospects whose recruitments have started gaining steam in recent months, but not (yet) LSU-level steam.   Evangel edge rusher [player_tooltip player_id='285618' first='Gabriel' last='Reliford'] (6-2, 230) is a big, physical athlete with impressive speed for his size with SMU, Tulane, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana (Lafayette), Air Force and Memphis among his 11 offers thus far and TCU also showing interest. Louisiana Tech and Oklahoma have helped kick off the recruitment of speedy Franklinton receiver [player_tooltip player_id='675890' first='KJ' last='Daniels'] (5-10, 155). University Lab safety [player_tooltip player_id='139503' first='Marcus' last='Dawson Jr.'] (6-3, 190) has started to receiver offers from around Louisiana, and Franklin Parish athlete [player_tooltip player_id='681280' first='Javion' last='White'] (5-11, 175) has started to garner some looks. But all four players' recruitments still largely feel like they're just getting started.     Already on the move   Linebacker Xavier Atkins (6-1, 205), at Jonesboro-Hodge at the time, was Prep Redzone Louisiana's top prospect on its initial 2024 rankings updates. Atkins, who committed to LSU last summer, moved to Summer Creek (Humble) outside of Houston during this school year and is being heavily recruited by Texas A&M, Arkansas and Colorado to potentially steal from the Tigers. He has good relationships with the Tigers' staff and incoming class, but the Aggies, Razorbacks and Buffaloes are going to work to make things interesting — including a trip to Boulder scheduled for next week.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/vPIlDHukedY </div></figure>

Colorado generated some major buzz this spring by landed the commitment of Ju’Juan Johnson Ju’Juan Johnson 6'0" | 195 lbs | ATH Lafayette Christian | 2024 State LA , one of Louisiana's top prospects for the 2024 class.