Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes’ rapid and dramatic overhaul of the football program continued to rage through the weekend, as the Buffs added four transfer recruits, including two former 4-Star talents, while also losing one of Prime’s first big transfer signings.
Starting with the loss, on Sunday, Seydou Traore announced that he would be re-entering the transfer portal, after initially joining Coach Prime back in December. Traore arrived in Boulder as one of the most coveted transfer portal players in the nation, and as an incredibly dynamic pass-catching tight end — tallying 655 yards and four touchdowns on his way to earning first-team All-Sun Belt honors.
However, it quickly became clear from tight ends coach Tim Brewster that the Colorado Buffaloes were looking for more of a pure inline tight end, and Traore didn’t fit that vision. As a result, Louis Passarello and others flew by him on the depth chart, and Traore decided he was too talented to hang around as a reserve option.
The loss stings, and immediately makes tight end one of the team’s biggest roster needs between now and the fall, but the CU Buffs aren’t too much worse off, as the marriage seemed somewhat destined to fail.
Outside of the Traore news though, it’s been nothing but positives for Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes over the past few days.
First, CU secured an Alabama defensive back, Jahquez Robinson, in the portal — a pretty remarkable signing considering how lauded Crimson Tide coverage men are.
#Scobuffs 🦬 Let’s get to work! pic.twitter.com/Bk0u62V7cI
— Jahquez Robinson💰⚡️ (@Jahquez23) April 29, 2023
Robinson was recruited by Nick Saban as a 4-Star and the No. 21 cornerback in his class, out of Florida.
Robinson barely played for the Tide, appearing in just six games (all of which came in 2022) over six seasons, and tallying just two sacks, but it’s undeniable he still possesses top-end talent, and his familiarity with CU defensive coordinator Charles Kelly should serve him well.
Soon after that, the Colorado Buffaloes added another former 4-Star defensive back — Omarion Cooper.
🚨𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒: Florida State DB Omarion Cooper is transferring to Colorado!
A former 4⭐️ recruit, Cooper had 3 Interceptions over the last 2 seasons. #WeComin @OmarionC2 @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/2XxfusiZDD
— Barstool Colorado (@CUBarstool) May 1, 2023
Like Robinson, Cooper is also a formerly highly-recruited cornerback from Florida, who failed to fully catch on at his original school. Cooper did see the field more than Robinson, but during his two seasons in Tallahasse, he tallied just 21 tackles over the 20 games he appeared in.
In Boulder, he should get more opportunities.
Then, Coach Prime turned to his receiver room, where he attempted to replace Montana Lemonious-Craig and Jordyn Tyson — the Colorado Buffaloes’ two leading receivers from 2022.
To help replace that void, Coach Prime turned to former 4-Star Auburn wide receiver Tarvarish Dawson and poached him from the Cincinnati Bearcats.
🚨𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒: Former Auburn WR Tarvarish Dawson has flipped his commitment from Cincinnati to Colorado!
Dawson was a 4⭐️ recruit in 2021 #WeComin @TarvarishD @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/9vh5aKAeYy
— Barstool Colorado (@CUBarstool) May 1, 2023
The fact Coach Prime could steal a player away from Cincinnati — one of the winningest and most consistent FBS programs of the last half-decade — just further demonstrates how rapidly Prime has changed things in Boulder.
Dawson is an impressive athlete at the wide receiver position, despite his smaller size, with excellent short-area quickness and run-after-the-catch ability. He should provide immediate quality depth behind Jimmy Horn Jr.
The Buffs also landed David Conner, a former 3-Star tackle from the Florida Gators.
The moment David Conner committed to Coach Prime and Colorado. #SkoBuffs🦬 pic.twitter.com/SUMBLDngMK
— DNVR Buffs (@DNVR_Buffs) April 30, 2023
Conner arrived in Gainesville as the No. 93 tackle in the 2022 class and spent the past season as a redshirt. He didn’t see the field once during the 2022 campaign as a result, but that shouldn’t be too concerning given his 3-Star pedigree at a prominent SEC school.
Conner should immediately compete for a starting role in the offense, and at worst, should be one of Colorado’s elite reserve pieces.
Soon after landing Conner, Coach Prime snagged another offensive lineman — Kareem Harden.
Harden just finished his redshirt freshman season at Butler Community College and, after demonstrating supreme toughness and versatility, had a bevy of FBS programs beating down his door, including B1G schools Illinois and Purdue. Harden should be a chess piece the Colorado Buffaloes are able to slide up and down the line, and even has a chance to compete for a starting spot on the interior.
With all of that talent coming in, last week’s talent exodus will soon seem like a distant memory.