WR Watkins decommits from Buffs’ 2025 class

• Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Personnel WriterNov 12, 2023, 12:56 PM ET

Deion Sanders and Colorado’s 2025 class took a struck on Sunday with wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr.’s decision to decommit.Watkins (No. 87 in the 2025 ESPN 300) was the very first player to commit to Sanders, revealing his pledge to the program on Dec. 4, 2022– the day Sanders was hired.Watkins, the cousin

of former Clemson and NFL pass receiver Sammy Watkins, spent his sophomore year and the start of his junior season at IMG Academy(Florida) before transferring to First Baptist Academy(Florida). Through his five games this season, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Watkins captured 38 passes for 804 backyards and 9 touchdowns for the Lions. Michigan, Oregon, Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State and Texas are among the 22 offers he has.His decommitment leaves Houston County High School (Georgia) quarterback Antwann Hill, Jr. (No.

46 total in 2025) as the only ESPN 300 possibility in Colorado’s 2025 class.Wide receiver/athlete Aaron Butler (No. 70 general in 2024) and defensive end Brandon Davis-Swain (no. 230 overall in 2024)highlight a recruiting class for 2024 that’s presently unranked.After Sanders ‘arrival in Boulder, he had the ability to quickly piece together a Top-25 class for 2023(No. 23 overall), headlined by getting his kid, Shedeur Sanders,

and cornerback Travis Hunter to come with him from Jackson State and flipping cornerback Cormani McClain (No. 14 total )from Miami and running back Dylan Edwards (No. 140 total)from Notre Dame.Shedeur Sanders is 5th in the FBS with 3,144 passing yards and his 26 goal passes place him in a four-way tie for 5th in the nation for an offense scoring 30.7 points a game(seventh in the Pac-12) and balancing 384.6 yards per game, which stands ninth in the crammed Pac-12. The Buffaloes, who instantly took the college football world by storm thanks to disturbing ruling national runner-up TCU on the road in the season opener, have actually struggled in recent weeks.

Losing to Arizona at the buzzer, 34-31, in their home finale marked their 4th straight loss.Colorado(4-6, 1-6 Pac-12)ends the season with games at Washington State and at Utah.