Another high-caliber cornerback is headed to Boulder.
It’s not too early for Deion Sanders and Colorado to hit the recruiting trail for the 2026 season, as the Buffaloes landed a big-time commitment from four-star, blue-chip cornerback Preston Ashley.
— Preston Ashley (@AshleyBallers) June 24, 2025
Ashley, who clocks in at 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, is widely regarded as one of the best defensive backs in the 2026 recruiting class. After showing out during his career at Brandon High School in Brandon, Mississippi, Ashley has garnered high praise. Currently, 247 Sports has Ashley ranked as the 19th-best defensive back in the 2026 class and ninth ninth-best player coming out of the state of Mississippi.
Because of Ashley’s prolific showing in high school, he’s accumulated 24 offers from some of the biggest programs in the nation, including Ole Miss, Auburn, Florida State, Florida, Mississippi State, Mizzou, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Alabama. Experts predicted that Ashley would stay home and attend Ole Miss, but the young man shocked the world when he picked the Buffs over the big brass in the SEC.
Landing a player like Ashley is a testament to how far the Buffs’ program has come with Sanders at the helm, but it might be an even bigger testament to the sustained success CU has had on the recruiting trail.
Every year that Sanders has been in Boulder has come with a big-name, headliner recruit that picked the Buffs over the nation’s biggest schools. We had Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders and Cormani McClain in 2023. We had Jordan Seaton in 2024. We had Julian Lewis in 2025. While Ashley isn’t quite on the same level as the previous names (minus McClain), it’s a phenomenal building block to start.
Ashley’s arrival in Boulder comes at a good time as well. It’s more than likely that the Buffs will be losing their best two defensive backs, Preston Hodge and DJ McKinney, to the NFL Draft following 2025, so Ashley will get ample opportunity to develop both on and off the field.
While fans will have to wait a year to see Ashley in Colorado black and gold, his tape indicates that it’ll be worth every second. This kid has some serious potential, and his commitment to play in Boulder is a great sign for the program going forward.