Colorado's 6-foot-7 Recruit Catches Attention with Big Announcement

Colorado's 6-foot-7 Recruit Catches Attention with Big Announcement originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Colorado Buffaloes haven't made too many big splashes in the 2026 recruiting class, receiving a total of just nine commitments, ranking No. 16 in the Big 12 (last place) and No. 68 in the nation, per On3.

One of the biggest additions to that group has been three-star offensive tackle Xavier Payne, who committed to the Buffaloes and head coach Deion Sanders onJuly 7 and stands at 6-foot-7, weighing 275 pounds.

Landing him was certainly a battle, though, as he was previously committed to the Florida State Seminoles from Dec. 21, 2024, to June 20, until backing out and choosing Colorado instead.

Now, in an X post, Payne made it clear he won't be flipping again, saying, "My recruitment is shut down and has been 100% since July 7th #skobuffs."

My recruitment is shutdown and has been 100% since July 7th #skobuffs 🦬🦬🦬 pic.twitter.com/WRX0gFPdZs

— Xavier Payne🥞 (@NYPayne58) July 21, 2025

Of course, considering their low number of recruits, having one flip would be a huge loss, so many fans are happy to see Payne shut down his recruitment and be fully invested in play for Colorado.

"Stand On It Young Bull... ShoNuff Buff," said one comment.

"Let’s go big boy!" said another.

"We search to find OUR type Settle for nothing less," a third added.

A fourth stated, "yessir lil brudda."

"Love to hear it fam!" a fifth continued.

"Buddy a real one," said another.

Now, it will remain to be seen if Colorado can build off this good news and bring in more recruits, as their 2026 class is a serious step down compared to 2025, where they ranked No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 35 in the nation.

Related: Nation's No. 1 Recruit Shares Strong Opinion of SEC Powerhouse Following First Visit

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.