Deion Sanders Pulls a 4-Star DL Away From Ole Miss Less Than 24 Hours After He ‘Closed’ His Recruiting

Deion Sanders and Colorado just flipped a four-star defensive lineman who had committed to Ole Miss less than a day earlier. That’s not a typo.

BenJarvis Shumaker, a 6-foot-2, 285-pound interior lineman from Mississippi, announced his commitment to the Rebels on Tuesday. By Wednesday, he was a Buffalo. Hayes Fawcett of Rivals broke the news, posting on X: “Not even 24 hours ago Ben’Jarvis Shumaker announced he was ‘shutting down his recruitment’ with Ole Miss. He just flipped to Colorado. Recruiting in 2026, man.”

Shumaker originally posted his Ole Miss pledge on his own X account, thanking God, his family and his coaches. But the flip happened fast. Real fast. He was expected to join his high school teammate, five-star wide receiver Caleb Cunningham, in Oxford. Instead he’s headed to Boulder.

So who is this kid? He’s the No. 76 overall prospect in the 2027 class per Rivals and the seventh-best defensive tackle in the country. He’s also the third-ranked player from Mississippi. Rivals analyst Greg Biggins called him a top-end prospect with a short-list ceiling.

“Shumaker is on the short list when talking about the top interior defensive lineman in the country,” Biggins wrote. “Had a big junior season, totaling 69 tackles, 17 for loss, 7 sacks and two forced fumbles. Very strong, especially in his lower half and can take on double teams and still get a push. Gets off the ball well, shows an active motor and lives on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Can win with speed and power and has the ability to dominate at the point of attack. Plays high at times and will need some technical work like most high school interior lineman but very high ceiling and projects as a high impact player at the Power 4 level.”

Colorado’s 2027 class is shaping up

This gives Colorado 16 commitments for the 2027 cycle. The class currently ranks 35th nationally and third in the Big 12. That might not sound like headline stuff compared to Georgia or Ohio State, but for a program that was a national punchline two years ago, it’s real momentum.

Coach Prime has made clear he wants to recruit at a Power 4 level, and flipping a kid from a traditional SEC program like Ole Miss sends a signal. Especially when that kid is from Mississippi and was already locked in with a teammate.

Shumaker is raw technically — Biggins noted he plays high at times — but the raw tools are there. He can push the pocket, collapse running lanes and eat double teams. That kind of interior disruptor is exactly what Colorado needs if they want to compete in the Big 12’s increasingly physical trenches.

The flip also raises eyebrows about how serious Shumaker’s initial “shutdown” was. It’s not uncommon for recruits to publicly close their recruitment only to keep listening, but 24 hours is a quick turnaround. Either Colorado made an offer he couldn’t ignore or something changed behind the scenes. The team hasn’t commented on the timeline, and Shumaker hasn’t explained his reversal.

Either way, the Buffaloes just got bigger. And in college football, that usually matters.