Deion Sanders said Tuesday morning that Notre Dame transfer cornerback Cree Thomas is Colorado’s No. 1 guy right now, a fast rise for a player who has already turned heads in the first two spring practices.
Thomas picked off five passes in those opening workouts, and Sanders did not sound interested in slowing the conversation down. “That guy,” he said of Thomas, adding that he is loving what he is seeing right now.
The latest praise matters because Colorado still has 13 spring practices to sort through its depth chart, and Sanders rarely hands out this kind of label lightly. Thomas, who played in three games at Notre Dame, will be a redshirt freshman in 2026 and has become one of the early standouts in camp.
Sanders said Thomas is what this program is about, a description that fits the recruiting approach he and his staff have pushed as they search for players with talent, a willingness to work and something to prove. The cornerback has brought all three to the field early, and the coach made it clear he sees more than a hot start.
For Colorado, the question now is not whether Thomas has impressed. It is whether he can hold that No. 1 spot through the rest of spring and carry it into the fall, because Sanders has already sounded like he sees a player ready for a much bigger role.
