Late last week, college football media erupted through the news that Colorado’s Deion Sanders and Michigan’s Sherrone Moore flipped two of the top players in the Class of 2025.
Sanders got five-star recruit Julian Lewis from Carrollton, Georgia to decommit from USC, where he had been committed since 2023, and shift to Colorado to play for the Buffaloes.
Deion is in an interesting position, which is why Lewis’ commitment is so impactful.
His star quarterback is his son Shedeur, and he’s off to the pros as a projected top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. That means that Deion needed a star to replace his star, which is why getting Lewis to switch from offensive genius Lincoln Riley at USC to Sanders’ growing program in Boulder was such a big deal.
There have also been rumblings of Sanders making the leap to the NFL, a rumor that Deion has denied.
“I’m happy where I am,” said Sanders. “I got a kickstand down. That means I’m rested, I’m good. I’m happy, I’m excited, I’m enthusiastic about where I am. I love it here.”
Moore, the first Black head coach in Michigan football history, had similar luck with five-star recruit Bryce Underwood, getting him to stay in the state to play for the Wolverines after a frenzied NIL bidding effort that went back and forth until Underwood agreed to flip his commitment from LSU to Michigan.
Underwood’s story reflects the reality of today’s recruiting process, where NIL speaks volumes, many times louder than the tradition and strength of a program. The star QB had committed to LSU but Michigan came calling and offered a reported $10.5 million NIL deal. He reportedly turned it down, then that number allegedly shot up to $12 million, which landed the prize QB in Ann Arbor according to reports.
Whether that’s true or not, we might not ever know. But we do know that NIL has changed the college football landscape and put more power in the hands of the players.
For Sanders and Moore to secure these two talents, Underwood being the consensus number one overall player in the Class of 2025 and Lewis being the number two recruit in the 2025 ESPN 300, it says a lot about what they’re building and selling.
Sanders took over a losing program and in only his second season, has led the Buffaloes to a winning record, bowl eligibility, a possible appearance in the Big 12 Championship game and maybe even the College Football Playoffs.
Moore also faced a rebuild after Michigan won the CFP Championship and lost key players to the NFL Draft.
But being able to continue building with star talent under center is a huge plus, especially for two coaches who many have doubted have the ability to succeed.
Now other top recruits will have reason to include Colorado and Michigan as stops on their recruiting visits, giving both coaches better chances of securing top recruiting classes going forward.
