Colorado Trending Before Four-Star Recruit Khyren Haywood’s Commitment

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The Colorado Buffaloes closed May in impressive fashion by adding six verbal commits, including two four-stars in offensive tackle Li’Marcus Jones and safety Gabe Jenkins.

Colorado now kicks off June awaiting a decision from four-star defensive lineman Khyren Haywood from Guyer High in Denton, Texas.

Khyren Haywood Places Colorado Buffaloes on Short List

Colorado Buffaloes Deion Sanders Big 12 College Football Khyren Haywood Gabe Jenkins Li'Marcus Jones Denton Texas Guyer High

Apr 11, 2026; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders greets players before the start of the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Haywood will announce his decision Monday at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Haywood became one of Guyer High’s most-sought after recruits ahead of his senior season. He pulled in 35 total offers before announcing a top four comprising of Colorado, Arizona, Kansas State and Northwestern.

Texas Tech once rose as a contender too but Colorado started to gain steam ahead of June. The Buffaloes are rising as a favorite to win him over ahead of his announcement.

How Colorado Buffaloes Recruited Khyren Haywood

Colorado Buffaloes Deion Sanders West Virginia Mountaineers Khyren Haywood Guyer High Denton Texas Arizona Wildcats Big 12

Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks along the sidelines late in the fourth quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

The recruiting mission to land Haywood never became a one-man effort out in Boulder.

Yes, the presence of Sanders helps as he brings an aura that can win over recruits and their families. However, CU had multiple people recruiting Haywood hard, not just coaches either.

Sanders received strong backing from director of player personnel Darrius Darden-Box and defensive tackles coach Dante Carter in pursuing Haywood. The former especially has become proactive in attempting to change Colorado’s recruiting efforts when it comes to the prep scene. Carter has also become assertive in going after recruits following his elevation within Sanders’ staff.

That’s not all on the coaching side, as director of recruiting Rashad Rich rises as one more putting together this 2027 class. Rich arrived via the James Franklin-led coaching staff at Penn State and has since assisted Sanders in a huge way recruiting wise.

Yet those aforementioned coaches received help too in the form of the incoming rookie class. Three-star linebacker commit and former Alabama pladge Ba’Roc Willis became proactive in recruiting Haywood to Boulder. Haywood himself even visited CU during the same May 18 weekend that the Pell City, Alabama linebacker Willis was there.

Why Khyren Haywood to Colorado Boosts Defense Moving Forward

TCU Horned Frogs Colorado Buffaloes Keaten Wade Big 12 Khyren Haywood Josh Hoover Amon G. Carter Stadium Gabe Jenkins

Oct 4, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover (10) is strip sacked by Colorado Buffaloes defensive lineman Keaten Wade (27) during the first half at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Haywood is 6-1 and close to 260-pounds, the frame the NFL legend for the Los Angeles Rams Aaron Donald played with. Yet Donald beat larger offensive linemen off a deep hand arsenal, low body leverage and delivering the snap explosion that stressed out offensive trenches right away.

The Denton star brings a near similar snap explosion once the ball moves. But he comes with an array of defensive line moves too that makes him advanced compared to some of his other trench peers. Haywood has defeated blocks with a quick spin move that gets him past the line of scrimmage. He’s strong enough to execute a pull-and-rip move that sheds blocks. Lastly, Haywood turns to the swim and rip move (or arm under) to surpass the line of scrimmage.

He’s taken on double teams too like Donald in the past. Except Haywood is cerebral enough to know when to extend his arms out to create enough push and distance to win that battle. His mix of hand moves and relentless pursuits have created this uncanny number at the prep level: 46.5 tackles for a loss in the last two seasons, plus 18 sacks across three varsity campaigns.

He’d become a huge new recruiting coup for Colorado if he indeed chooses CU.

Colorado Buffaloes Not Done Landing Big-Name Recruits

Colorado Buffaloes Deion Sanders Spring Game Khyren Haywood Tyler Alexander Kenny Fairley Dante Carter College Football

Apr 11, 2026; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the start of the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Buffaloes gain massive interior defensive line help here if they pull off the win here. Haywood already comes with the gap quickness tailored made for the Big 12 and power conference rigors.

Haywood can form a quick pairing with one other CU commit who arrived before him: Kenny Fairley, who’s slightly shorter at 6-0, 270-pounds but brings his own Donald-like twitch in the trenches. The possible arrival of Haywood next to Fairley shows CU wants one side of the interior defensive line to be quick and disruptive.

And Colorado may not be done with adding inside help either, with four-star Tyler Alexander still a wanted target for CU. Alexander is even longer at 6-4, 310-pounds. But the focus to start June for Colorado is securing Haywood.

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