The initial signing period for high school stars in December is now cemented as the national signing day on the college football calendar, but there’s always a little bit of action when the second period rolls around in February.
That was again the case Wednesday when Castle Rock senior Jordan Ochoa signed on the dotted line with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, making him the 11th Class of 2024 recruit from Colorado to receive a scholarship from a current Power 5 program.
The three-star edge rusher is the second late signee from Colorado to join Nebraska in the past two years, following in the footsteps of Regis Jesuit defensive back D’Andre Barnes, who signed on with Matt Rhule’s first recruiting class last February. Ochoa is also one of three Class of 2024 recruits who will leave Colorado for Lincoln, with Heritage defensive back Rex Guthrie and Broomfield offensive lineman Landen Davidson the others.
Most of Colorado’s big fish made their commitments official in December, including Erie quarterback Blake Barnett (Kansas State) and Fossil Ridge offensive lineman Gage Ginther (Tennessee) — the state’s top two Class of 2024 recruits in 247Sports.com’s composite rankings.
Colorado State reeled in three players among the top 18 on that list — all on scholarship. Chief among them is Chatfield defensive back Dagan Myers, who was rated as the top in-state prospect by 247Sports.com’s scouts when the site redid its own rankings earlier this year.
Also of note: Northern Colorado’s big gamble on Box State talent got even bigger, with the Bears’ class ballooning to 17 in-state recruits under second-year head coach Ed Lamb. That’s easily the largest concentration of new Colorado talent added to an FCS or FBS roster this offseason. Coach Prime’s CU Buffs added zero in-state high school recruits on scholarship.
Here’s a list of Colorado preps who signed letters of intent or verbally committed to play for FBS or FCS programs as of Wednesday, as well as those who have announced commitments to the Air Force Academy:
(Can’t see list on mobile? Click here.)
| Player | School | Pos. | Stars* | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Barnett | Erie | QB | *** | Kansas State |
| A.J. Burton | Cherry Creek | OL | *** | Iowa State |
| Omari Bursey | Legacy | LB | N/A | Villanova |
| Keenan Campbell | Fountain-Fort Carson | WR | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Cam Chapa | Eaglecrest | DB | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Joseph Ciccio | Lutheran | WR | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Brendon Crispe | Arapahoe | OL | N/A | South Dakota |
| Jackson Cowgill | Erie | DL | *** | Washington State |
| Mason Cowgill | Erie | TE | *** | South Dakota |
| Landon Davidson | Broomfield | OL | *** | Nebraska |
| Trace Edmundson | Legacy | OL | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Lincoln Fa’apouli | Fountain-Fort Carson | OL | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Gage Ginther | Fossil Ridge | OL | *** | Tennessee |
| AJ Guida | Mullen | LB | *** | Northern Illinois |
| Rex Guthrie | Heritage | S | *** | Nebraska |
| Cory Jackson | Eaglecrest | CB | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Alex Jordan | Valor Christian | DE | N/A | Penn |
| Brody Judd | Broomfield | TE | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Carson Keach | Ponderosa | S | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Peyton Knoebel | Ralston Valley | OL | N/A | Air Force^ |
| Jordan Leslie | Mullen | WR | N/A | Dartmouth |
| Myles McClarity | Fountain-Fort Carson | S | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Jack Moran | Ralston Valley | DL | *** | Colorado State |
| Mason Miller | Pine Creek | LB | *** | Iowa State |
| Mikey Munn | Windsor | DB | N/A | South Dakota |
| Dagan Myers | Chatfield | DB | *** | Colorado State |
| Jordan Ochoa | Castle View | EDGE | *** | Nebraska |
| Blake Palladino | Dakota Ridge | QB | ** | Northern Colorado |
| Colton Patterson | Green Mountain | OL | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| George Patterson | Ralston Valley | DE | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Giovanni Panozzo | Arvada West | OL | N/A | Wyoming |
| Max Parrot | Cherry Creek | OL | *** | Purdue |
| Mathias Price | Fountain-Fort Carson | RB | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Jackson Quammie | Brighton | CB | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Doren Sacha | Thomas Jefferson | CB | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Zach Smith | ThunderRidge | OL | *** | Colorado State |
| Jake Stonebraker | Douglas County | ATH | *** | Kansas State |
| Montrey Strikland | Golden | OL | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| Liam Szarka | Grandview | QB | N/A | Air Force^ |
| Hayden Treter | Cherry Creek | OL | *** | Southern California |
| Nkongolo Wa-Kalonji | Grandview | ATH | *** | Air Force^ |
| Asher Weiner | Valor Christian | QB | *** | Princeton |
| Blake Weslin | Green Mountain | LB | N/A | Northern Colorado |
| * 247sports.com composite rankings | ^ Air Force commits do not sign letters of intent | + Verbal commitment | ||||
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