Four midnight pledges launched to limit Thanksgiving Day Colorado rises in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, moving up 19 places from number 49 to number 30.

On Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, four 2025 prospects announced their commitments to the Buffaloes: Mobile (Ala.) Williamson four-star offensive tackle Carde Smithfour-star IMG Academy EDGE London MerrittIMG Academy three-star EDGE Alexander McPherson and Fort Worth (Texas) North Crowley three-star wide receiver Quentin Gibson.

Smith, Merritt and McPherson were each previously involved in other programs. Smith left USC on November 20, Merritt dropped Ohio State on November 26 and McPherson withdrew from Oklahoma State the same day.

The On3 Industry Ranking is a weighted average using all four major recruitment media companies. In those rankings, Smith Merritt, McPherson and Gibson are at numbers 228, 260, 865 and 1,164 respectively.

With the addition of these four recruits, Colorado now has 15 commitments in its 2025 recruiting class. Most notably, the Buffaloes made a huge splash by landing the elite four-star quarterback from Carrollton (Ga.) Julian Lewis on Nov. 21 – days after he withdrew from Southern Cal.

Lewis is the nation’s No. 39 prospect and No. 6 quarterback.

In addition to Lewis, Smith and Merritt, there are three other promising prospects committed to the Buffs: Pflugerville (Texas) Weiss four-star receiver Adrian WilsonHouston North Shore four-star wide Quanell Farrakhan Jr. and Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy four-star offensive lineman Chauncey Gooden.