The NIL era is posing a challenge to the conventional ways of recruiting, and teams are doing whatever it takes to adapt. In a game where any form of advantage is crucial, and every mistake could prove fatal, college football programs are more than willing to copy the next guy’s homework.
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According to Athlon Sport‘s Kevin Borba, that’s exactly what the Florida State Seminoles did to Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes, who he believes have created a new recruiting style.
In a bold take, Borba argued that Florida State has copied how Coach Prime recruited Julian Lewis, following Shedeur Sanders’ exit. “The Colorado Buffaloes, they pioneered, I think, a passing-of-the-torch sort of recruiting style,” he said, before explaining it further.
“When it came to recruiting Julian Lewis, the biggest aspect in Julian Lewis’ recruitment process was him having an opportunity to start right away… A lot of these programs that were interested in him were offering him the goal of eventually being the starter. Colorado was offering him the goal of him taking over immediately,” Borba elaborated.
Invoking the imagery of Lewis sitting on a throne while the program’s former star signal caller, Shedeur, hands him a torch, Borba termed it a perfect recruiting strategy. Even though the success of the pitch is somewhat predicated on the player developing a bit of an ego, it seems to be a rather effective sales tactic.
After seeing FSU depict their current quarterback, Thomas Castellanos, quite literally handing the keys over to the team’s 2026 candidate, Jaden O’Neal, it appears as if this newfound strategy could soon become common practice.
“Florida State pulled off the same darn style… This is a sick idea for an official visit picture, and I think that’s what rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, because Colorado and Coach Prime obviously pioneered that. It’s not a bad thing to see people copying in recruiting. It happens all the time,” said Borba.
As the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. For all of the criticisms that Sanders and the Buffaloes have received throughout the past two seasons, Borba highlights that this is an instance in which Coach Prime’s influence on the game is getting recognized, albeit in an underhanded way.
In a day and age where engagement and follower numbers seem to be a form of currency, Sanders’ recruiting tactics have proven to be more than useful. It’s a fact that younger athletes are more aware of the concepts of marketing and brand exposure than ever before.
Naturally, that’s resulted in viral videos and player-focused social media posts becoming valuable tools for everyone involved. College football has officially placed profit ahead of productivity. And till that remains, the artificial glitz and glamor associated with these types of recruiting styles will continue, even emerge in different forms.
After all, why struggle to become a starter at a big-time program when you could collect a larger paycheck and potentially become a star at a less accomplished school that’s still just as socially relevant as its counterparts? It’s all about working smarter, not harder.
