Colorado hosts Kansas State on Saturday night in a battle that carries some major Big 12 implications. As the Buffaloes look to improve to 5-1 on the season, they’re also looking for some momentum on the recruiting trail. This weekend has turned into a major opportunity to pick up some steam with recruits, as Deion Sanders and his staff currently have just eight commitments in their 2025 class with the December signing period less than two months away. One big target that the Buffs are hoping to boost their stock with is Manassas (Va.) IMG Academy four-star linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng. The 6-foot, 200-pounder made his way to Boulder and will be in attendance at Folsom Field on Saturday. Last month, Owusu-Boateng narrowed his list of top schools down to six, with Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida, USC and Texas all making the cut. Each program has had him on campus multiple times throughout his process. Colorado will look to get in the mix by making a big impression this weekend, however. “Each school is doing their job with me, but Michigan and Notre Dame are doing a really good job. They recruit me so hard. Texas would be right there too. A few schools recruit me on another level, but all six do a great job. The relationships I have with the coaches at all six schools are strong,” Owusu-Boateng told On3’s Chad Simmons on Sept. 19. Colorado’s expected visitor list this weekend also includes Owusu-Boateng’s IMG Academy teammate and four-star EDGE London Merritt, an Ohio State commit. Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland defensive lineman and UCF commit Christian Hudson is also expected. Owusu-Boateng is the No. 85 overall prospect and No. 6 LB in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 13 player in Florida. The Buffs recently flipped Miami Northwestern four-star safety Antonio Branch from Penn State and now have two defensive backs in their 2025 class — Detroit Cass Technical four-star cornerback Alex Graham has been in the class since April 26. With just eight commits, though, Colorado’s class ranks No. 83 in the nation, per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Pursuing players like Owusu-Boateng will be a major priority for Sanders and Co. moving forward. Baltimore St. Frances Academy four-star safety Byron Baldwin recently decommitted from Indiana and is a top target. USC five-star quarterback commit Julian Lewis continues to keep the Buffs warm and is expected to return to Boulder later this season. Other current commits in Colorado’s class include: Spring (Texas) North Shore four-star wide receiver Quanell Farrakhan Jr., Nashville Lipscomb Academy four-star interior offensive lineman Chauncey Gooden and Buford (Ga.) three-star linebacker Mantrez Walker. For weeks, that effort has centered on Carrollton (Georgia) five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, a USC Trojans commit, as well as several defensive backs from all over the country. But coach Deion Sanders and his coaching staff may be taking a big step forward this weekend in its effort to improve the future of the defensive front. On Friday, IMG Academy (Florida) four-star defensive lineman and Ohio State pledge London Merritt arrived for his visit to Colorado and shared pictures to Instagram: IMG Academy (Fla.) 4-star DL and Ohio State commit London Merritt has arrived for his visit to Colorado pic.twitter.com/uI0jaVZjrd The 6-foot-3, 250-pound edge-rusher has been committed to Ohio State since late March, but he has since taken an official visit to North Carolina. This weekend, it's Colorado's turn to host the nation's No. 5 defensive end on an OV. What would the Buffs be getting? According to 247Sports, a versatile piece up front who can be a plus-player against the run or pressuring the quarterback: “Heavy-handed defender that looks like a natural fit as a power end in a 3-4 or a 4-3, but could ultimately settle in as a full-time 3-technique at the next level. Spent much of junior season working out of a two-point stance in an odd front for Georgia’s AAAAAA runner-up. Jolts offensive tackles and tight ends with a formidable punch and can pick up quick wins by sliding and dipping his way around blockers, although the sack total doesn’t always show for it. Flashes some instincts as a run defender and uses impressive short-area quickness to make stops in pursuit as he changes course and keeps the legs pumping. Transferred into IMG Academy in advance of senior season... Projects as a multi-year starter at the Power Four level. Must improve anchor technique and keep progressing as a rusher, but has plenty of developmental upside.” The number of official visitors in Boulder this weekend will be determined by the status of Orlando's airport in the wake of Hurricane Milton. Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland defensive lineman Christian Hudson and IMG Academy four-star linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng are both hoping to check out what the Buffaloes have to offer this coming weekend, if they can make it to Boulder. Vincent Dancy and Andre' Hart went out to see them from the Buffaloes staff during their recent bye week. Hudson, a 6-foot-1, 280-pound defensive lineman, is a top 50 Florida recruit that is currently verbally committed to UCF. Owusu-Boateng is an uncommitted blue-chip linebacker prospect that previously took trips, to see Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas and USC. Four-star defensive lineman London Merritt is also set to take an official visit with the Buffs this coming weekend. And while he also hails from IMG Academy, in Bradenton, Fla., he will be flying out of the Atlanta airport so his planned trip to CU is less in doubt. Last week, Deion Sanders made his first trip back to his home state as the head coach at Colorado, and did so in unforgettable fashion. Sanders’ squad came into their matchup with UCF as a 15-point underdog and walked out of the Bounce House with a resounding 48-21 victory. Prior to the matchup, Sanders suggested that many of the recruits who were set to visit UCF last week were actually there to see Coach Prime’s program in person. “A lot of recruits that really want to see us, they’ll do a sign-up to go to the game on behalf of an opposing team,” Sanders said. “…It’ll be a tremendous amount of recruits. I guarantee they’ll have their biggest recruiting weekend this weekend. It’s gonna be crazy, I guarantee. Every recruit in Florida is gonna be on that sideline.” As it turns out, there might’ve been more truth to that than most believe. UCF defensive line commit Christian Hudson — a 6-foot-2, 290-pound DT out of Daytona Beach, FL — has scheduled an official visit with Colorado on October 12. UCF defensive line commit Christian Hudson had scheduled an official visit with Colorado.@UCFSports / @JohnGarcia_Jr / @CUSportsNation Hudson committed to UCF on July 6, 2024, but received an offer from the Buffs on September 4 and is now scheduling a trip out to Boulder. Will a blowout loss to Colorado start to cost UCF some of its commits, too? We’ll have to wait and see, but it’s certainly not ideal to see prospects going to check out a school right after they stomped you on your home field. Two weeks after beating UCF, the Colorado Buffaloes are hosting one of the Knights’ top class of 2025 commits for this weekend’s game against Kansas State. Christian Hudson, a three-star (247Sports composite) defensive lineman, is already in town ahead of the Buffs’ Saturday night matchup with the Wildcats. The 6-foot-1, 280-pound recruit posted a picture on X Friday afternoon of his view of Boulder’s iconic Flatirons. According to the 247Sports composite, Hudson is ranked as the No. 48 DL in his class and the No. 63 class of 2025 prospect from Florida. He committed to UCF on July 6 before...