Deion Sanders suffers harsh blow as No. 2 WR in 2026 class ditches Colorado for Kalen DeBoer's Alabama

Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes have been dealt a harsh blow in their hopes of obtaining a strong recruitment class for the 2026 season.

It was announced on Wednesday that Cederian Morgan would be committing to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

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The Buffaloes had their eyes on Morgan, and the player visited Boulder in May. However, this was not enough to entice the player to Deion Sanders' side.

Cederian Morgan is a five-star wide receiver prospect from Alabama. 247Sports ranks him as the 11th best player in the class of 2026, the second best wide receiver and the best player from Alabama.

He attends Benjamin Russell High School in Alexander City, AL, where he developed into a successful three-sport athlete (Athletics, Basketball and Football).

Focusing on the gridiron, Morgan finished his junior year with 1,162 yards and 14 touchdowns, as he helped his team make the state playoffs.

These numbers made Morgan a sought-after player, receiving offers from numerous top teams, including Colorado, Clemson and Arkansas. However, all of these teams were unable to get the prospect to sign.

Comparing Colorado and Alabama's 2026 Recruitment classes

The failure to bring Cederian Morgan in is another setback for the Colorado Buffaloes in their quest to keep them a contender in the Big 12 for years to come.

Currently, 247Sports ranks Colorado's 2026 recruiting class 100th nationally, with five players committed. The best of these is four-star rated safety Preston Ashley. While the Buffaloes have extended offers to several other recruits, some of whom may commit in the coming weeks, it's unlikely they'll land a player of Morgan's caliber in Boulder.

In contrast, the signing of Morgan only boosts the Crimson Tide's 2026 class. 247Sports ranks them as the sixth best in the country, with Morgan being one of the five-star ranked players to commit.

He is joined by Xavier Griffin, a top-rated linebacker and the No. 8 player in the class, who also committed to Alabama this week.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Alvin Amansec