"When I was a kid, I loved me some Deion Sanders": Colorado's elite four-star recruit Preston Ashley opens up on commitment decision

The Colorado Buffaloes have landed four-star cornerback recruit Preston Ashley for the 2026 class. Ashley is an elite athlete and will join the Buffaloes at the end of the 2025 campaign.

Upon committing to the Colorado Buffaloes, Preston Ashley was interviewed by Duke the Scoop. When asked his reasons for choosing the Buffaloes, Ashley said:

"Why not be a Colorado Buff? It's amazing, it's a blessing. When I was a kid, I loved me some Deion Sanders. My dad always told me, go who loves you, not where you liked"

Preston Ashley's answer paid respect to his future head coach, Deion Sanders. Sanders, like Ashley, played the cornerback position during his career. The current Colorado Buffaloes head coach excelled at Florida State University before enjoying a Pro Football Hall of Fame career in the NFL.

Ashley will get the chance to work with Deion Sanders closely when he joins the Colorado Buffaloes in 2026. He'll get top-notch mentoring from arguably the greatest cornerback to play the game.

What could Preston Ashley bring to Colorado?

According to Sports Illustrated, Preston Ashley measures in at 5-foot-10, 170 pounds. The four-star cornerback hails from Brandon, Mississippi, and is the highest-rated defensive back prospect that the Buffaloes are recruiting in the Deion Sanders era.

Ashley is an elite tackler and pressure-generating cornerback. He's amassed a stat line of 168 tackles, two interceptions, eight passes defended, and a forced fumble in his time with Brandon High School. Ashley will be tasked with replacing some of the productivity lost after Travis Hunter left for the NFL in 2025.

Ashley Preston joins three-star California edge rusher Domata Peko Jr. and three-star Illinois tight end Gavin Mueller in the Colorado Buffaloes' 2026 recruiting class. It's a class that's slowly taking shape ahead of Coach Prime's third season as the program's head coach.

The Deion Sanders-led Colorado Buffaloes have typically built their squad via the transfer portal. However, the incoming arrival of Preston Ashley might signal a new era for the Big 12 program.

The Colorado Buffaloes will start their 2025 campaign with a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The aim is to improve on last year's 9-4 record and potentially make an appearance in the expanded College Football Playoffs.