Where does Colorado’s transfer portal haul rank among Big 12 teams?

The conference’s biggest winners & losers in the portal this offseason

Oct 7, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Quantity doesn’t always equate to quality. Despite bringing in a FBS-best 42 newcomers via the transfer portal, Deion Sanders and Colorado’s haul ranked seventh among Big 12 teams, per 247Sports.

To create their rankings, the publication took “the average rating of the players leaving each program and compared it to the average rating of the players entering the program.” The difference in the number of incoming players versus those leaving was not factored into the ratings.

According to 247Sports, fifteen of the sixteen Big 12 teams finished with a net rating gain. TCU was the only program with a net rating loss. Despite bringing in nine new players compared to 16 losses, BYU led all Big 12 programs with a net rating gain of 3.16 overall. One of the conference newcomers, Utah, aided by the signing of former USC receiver Dorian Singer, was second with a gain of 2.57. Kansas was third with a 1.67 net rating gain.

Where did Colorado check in? They had a gain of 1.29, according to 247Sports. The Buffaloes brought in 42 players via the transfer portal and lost 43. Not bad considering they had the highest amount of turnover without a head coaching change. Perhaps the biggest area in which the Buffaloes improved was the defensive line. Sanders and company added three of the top 10 rated defensive lineman in the portal - Samuel Okunlola (Pittsburgh), Quency Wiggins (LSU), and BJ Green (Arizona State) – in addition to four-star transfer Rayyan Buell (Ohio).

After surrendering 56 sacks last season, the Buffaloes also added some much-needed depth to their offensive line. It was the group that was given the most attention after last year. Colorado added nine new linemen via the portal led by Tyler Johnson (Houston). Not only should Shedeur Sanders be more protected this fall, but he’ll have some weapons at his disposal. With Will Sheppard (Vanderbilt) and LaJohntay Wester (FAU), the Buffaloes added two of the most sought-after wide receivers in the portal.

As far as the departures, only 29.3% of the players leaving Colorado’s program landed at power programs. The biggest losses came with former top cornerback Cormani McClain (Florida) and running back Dylan Edwards (Kansas State).