Three-star offensive tackle Xavier Payne committed to Colorado to play for head coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes on Monday. The Orlando, FL native was previously committed to attend Sanders' alma mater, the Florida State Seminoles, before decommitting and making the switch.
BREAKING: Class of 2026 OT Xavier Payne has Committed to Colorado, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 7, 2025
The 6’7 325 OT from Orlando, FL was previously Committed to Florida State
“SKO BUFFS 🦬🦬🦬”https://t.co/9tCzPZqPpB pic.twitter.com/vdMAWnkNSG
Payne initially committed back on December 21 and was locked in until June 22, just six days after an official visit to Boulder with the Buffaloes. Sanders now has six total commitments for his 2026 class, with Payne now ranked third on that list.
The 6-foot-7, 325-pound tackle was picking between Colorado and Syracuse, eventually narrowing in on the two schools out of the 34 offers he held. Payne's visit with the Orange was on June 6, with him deciding he preferred to take his talents elsewhere.
Sanders has had success convincing players to choose his school over Florida State, with a similar outcome just a few weeks ago. Four-star cornerback Preston Ashley committed to play for the Buffaloes on June 24, despite holding an offer from the Seminoles.
The success with poaching recruits has helped Sanders build his 2026 recruiting class into the nation's top 100, currently at 97th. Payne is ranked as the 90th offensive tackle recruit in the country, and the 95th player in the state of Florida.
In 2025, Sanders boasted the 24th-ranked class across college football, hoping to get back up near the top again. With only six recruits currently committed for 2026, it's less than half of the 13 total recruits last year's class featured. Payne definitely helps the strength of the class, but there is much more work to be done.
There is still time over the course of the summer for the Buffaloes to add more talent, but other programs in the Big 12 have set the pace. Currently, Colorado ranks at the very bottom of the conference in terms of 2026 recruiting classes.