"He doesn’t talk to a lot of recruits": Four-star CB target high on Colorado after FaceTime with Coach Prime

Out of all college coaches, Deion Sanders is different, and we aren’t definitely talking about his fashion sense. It's about his recruitment style for Colorado, as he never hit the road to recruit prospects like other coaches.

However, this week, Sanders connected via FaceTime with one of Colorado’s top 2026 targets, four-star cornerback Dorian Barney. After their conversation, Barney was excited about being a priority for the Buffaloes.

"He (Sanders) doesn’t talk to a lot of recruits," Barney told Rivals. "So if he's talking to me he needs and wants me to come play for him."

Barney, who was initially committed to Alabama's 2026 class, backed out in November. He is the No. 120 prospect in the nation and the No. 14 cornerback in the 2026 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

Colorado's standing in Dorian Barney's recruitment

Colorado made Dorian Barney's top 12, alongside Florida State, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Miami.

“It's really just the relationships I grew over time with them from my process, from my whole journey,” Barney told the Irish Sports Daily about his top schools. “I've visited the majority of those schools and I'm looking forward to getting down to the ones that I haven't visited yet.”

As of now, the Buffaloes are far from earning a big edge in his recruitment, but besides Deion Sanders' recruitment push, the school might get momentum in his recruitment due to a familiar connection.

At Carrollton High School in Georgia, Barney was teammates with five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, Colorado's signee in the 2025 class. Lewis was in the 2026 class like Barney but he reclassified to enter college a year early.

With Shedeur Sanders heading to the NFL, Colorado is looking to Lewis as its future quarterback. Meanwhile, the Buffaloes are also set to lose Heisman Trophy-winning cornerback Travis Hunter.

While it’s still early to project, Barney could be a key piece in filling that void. Sanders likely sees that potential, which explains his strong push to secure Barney’s commitment.