Before the start of summer workouts, the Colorado football team is on a break.
The Buffaloes’ recruiting staff is hard at work, though.
On Wednesday morning, the Buffs and head coach Deion Sanders picked up a verbal commitment from defensive back Gabe Jenkins, a four-star recruit in the 2027 class.
Jenkins’ commitment comes just a day after the Buffs landed a pledge from three-star edge rusher Ba’Roc Willis.
Jenkins was originally committed to Penn State, while Willis was a one-time Alabama commit.
A 6-foot-1, 190-pound safety at Imani Christian Academy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jenkins is rated by On3.com as a top-30 safety in the 2027 class and the No. 10 overall prospect in his state.
After decommitting from Penn State, Jenkins has now picked the Buffs over Penn State, Michigan, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia and others. He has 31 scholarship offers and has official visits lined up with Virginia Tech, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Michigan in the next month, per 247Sports.
According to MaxPreps, Jenkins had 24 tackles, three tackles for loss and a fumble recovery last season. He’s also a dual threat quarterback, throwing for 1,765 yards and 28 touchdowns while rushing for 1,409 yards and 13 scores as a junior.
Willis is a 6-foot-2, 235-pound edge rusher who is transferring to Pell City High School in Moody, Alabama, for his senior year. He has 36 offers, including from CU’s first opponent this year, Georgia Tech.
Willis played his first three seasons of high school football at Moody (Alabama) High. He helped Moody to the Class 5A state championship last season, recording 125 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, nine sacks and 26 hurries.
As a sophomore, Willis had 95 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 17 sacks and 38 hurries. A three-year varsity player, he has 299 tackles, 63.5 TFLs, 35 sacks and 84 hurries in his prep career.
CU has five players verbally committed for the 2027 class, including four on defense and quarterback Andre Adams from Nashville on offense.
