Colorado has made it a priority to find young linebackers for the future, and on Saturday the Buffaloes landed a big one.
Rodney Colton Jr., a four-star prospect from Newnan (Ga.) High School, gave his verbal commitment to the Buffs and head coach Deion Sanders for the 2026 class.
Colton Jr. is the ninth player in CU’s 2026 class and the third linebacker. Earlier this month, Colby Johnson (Sammamish, Wash.) and Carson Crawford (Carthage, Texas) committed to the Buffs.
With 34 scholarship offers, Colton has been a highly recruited linebacker in the 2026 class, but he chose the Buffs over Florida State and Mississippi. He visited all three schools in June, including a trip to Boulder on June 20.
Overall, he has 27 offers from Power Four conference schools, and his visits included trips to Penn State, SMU and UCLA. Colton originally committed to South Carolina on April 24, 2024, but decommitted in January and opened his recruitment.
As a junior last year at Newnan, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Colton had 51 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks and an interception.
CU’s 2026 class also includes: offensive lineman Xavier Payne (Miami, Fla.); defensive backs Preston Ashley (Brandon, Miss.), D’Montae Tims (Armwood, Fla.) and Maurice Williams Jr. (New Orleans); edge Domata Peko Jr. (Ventura College); and tight end Gavin Mueller (South Elgin, Ill.).
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