If there is one thing Deion Sanders’ tenure at Colorado has taught us, it’s that the Buffaloes will always be able to attract elite pass catchers.

It hasn’t mattered whether Shedeur Sanders is the quarterback or what offense the Buffs are running; some of the best wide receivers in the transfer portal find their way to Boulder every offseason.

This past winter was no different and it sets the stage for what should be a much-improved offense this fall under new coordinator Brennan Marion and his “GoGo” system.

Even though the revamped running back room will also play a big role, quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis will get ample chances to throw the ball to the talented stead of receivers out wide, given Marion is a former receiver himself and likes to shred defenses with vertical passing concepts.

Let’s meet the 2026 CU wideouts and tight ends:

The key returner

Three of the Buffs’ four leading receivers from last year’s team were eligible to return and they combined for nearly 1,500 yards. But Coach Prime and company only managed to hold onto former Tulsa transfer Joseph Williams, losing former four-star recruits Omarion Miller (Arizona State) and Dre’lon Miller (Baylor) to other teams in the Big 12.

Omarion’s departure was the biggest as the junior emerged as a breakout star with a career-best 808 yards and eight touchdowns, the majority of which came in the final four games and with Lewis at quarterback.

Still, CU is happy to have Williams back after he looked like the player he showed during his first season in college, when he was named AAC freshman of the year. Williams missed a pair of games, but still finished with just under 500 receiving yards and four touchdowns as a downfield threat whom quarterbacks can trust to go up and make a play in the air.

He missed the spring with an injury but should be a key contributor as one of the starting outside receivers when the team opens the season in early September.

The newcomers

It’s hard to imagine the Buffs bringing in a better trio of receivers in January.

San Jose State transfer Danny Scudero is the headliner after he was a Biletnikoff Award finalist last fall, leading the nation with 1,297 receiving yards to go with 88 catches and 10 touchdowns. He was arguably the offensive MVP of the spring, as well, earning constant praise for Sanders and Marion and drawing comparisons to former New England Patriots standout Julian Edelman from his head coach.

The other player who comes to CU after a big season in the Group of Six is former Miami (Ohio) star Kam Perry, a speedy player who thrives on the inside and who had just under 1,000 yards and six touchdowns in a breakout 2025 campaign.

The other newcomer to know is Texas transfer De’Andre Moore, who is unlike many of the other SEC transfers to join the Buffs in that he has two seasons of real production for one of the top teams in the country. Moore racked up nearly 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns across the 2024-25 seasons.

The tight ends

The tight end position has been largely anonymous during Sanders’ first three seasons, but maybe this is the year that finally changes with Marion running the offense.

CU’s tight end group isn’t going to ‘Wow’ anyone on paper, but it did retain senior Zach Atkins, who is one of the key leaders in the locker room. Atkins came to Boulder after a solid 2024 season at Northwest Missouri State and views himself as a weapon in the passing game, something he only got to show at times last fall as he totaled 20 catches for 149 yards.

Freshmen Corbin Laisure and Zayne DeSouza, a Loveland native, are two other players who could see an increased role this season after redshirting in 2025.