As Deion Sanders settled into his seat following his regular campus walk to tackle his weekly news conference earlier this week, he noted the importance of the destination of his team’s pending road trip.

Not just on the field, as Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes opened Big 12 Conference play on Friday night against Houston. But it also was an important business trip in regard to recruiting. Since the Buffs are on the road for the first time this season, it’s not a big recruiting weekend in the sense of having big-time prospects lining the field on a sunny Saturday at Folsom Field. CU is playing in Texas, where FBS-level prospects seemingly grow on trees.

“I can’t wait to get to Houston,” said Coach Prime, who raised his family in Texas. “It’s a tremendous recruiting ground for us. Texas, period. We love to go down there and play.”

Competing at the FBS level requires recruiting in Texas. Colorado is no different.

Historically, a number of prominent players from CU lore called Texas home, including 1990 national champion Buffs Chris Hudson, Kanavis McGhee and Alfred Williams, all from Houston. The Lone Star state also sent future Buffs stars to Boulder like Cliff Branch, Charlie Davis and Andre Gurode, now an assistant offensive line coach for CU. And, of course, former quarterback Shedeur Sanders also grew up in Texas.

The same can be said of the current Buffs roster. More players call Texas home than any other state, with 20 of the 105 players on the roster (19%) hailing from Texas. That rate is even higher among CU’s scholarship players, with 17 of 78 (21.8%) from Texas. That list includes some of the Buffs’ most prominent players in cornerbacks Preston Hodge and DJ McKinney, receiver Dre’lon Miller, quarterback Kaidon Salter and running back DeKalon Taylor.

Still, when Sanders himself was a prep prospect in Florida, it was a different era when national television exposure was an uncommon occurrence, at least for programs outside the top 25 rankings. While Sanders committed to an in-state program in Florida State, recruits often didn’t have a chance to get intimate looks at other national programs unless they were fortunate enough to be invited for an official visit. Or when those teams visited to take on a nearby rival.

In today’s age, with just about every FBS game available across the nation and live highlights available almost immediately every game day via social media, that sort of in-person connection isn’t nearly as critical. Sanders, for example, told USA Today last year that he doesn’t conduct in-home visits. And recently, CU volleyball coach Jesse Mahoney told the Daily Camera their prep prospects rarely make campus visits anymore.CU football has become one of the most-visible programs in the nation under Sanders. The Buffs were one of the most-watched teams in the nation during Sanders’ first season at CU in 2023, and while the ratings numbers dipped a bit last year, the Buffs’ games so far this year against Georgia Tech in the opener and Delaware last week both have been among the top-10 most-viewed shows for each week of the season.

With the move to the Big 12, the Buffs’ trips to Texas have been more routine. CU opened the Prime Era with a classic win at TCU to start the 2023 season, and played last year in Lubbock (Texas Tech) and San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl. Currently, 16 of the top 100 recruits in the nation for the 2026 class, per 247Sports, are from Texas. Most are already committed to other programs, including No. 2 overall prospect Keisean Henderson, a quarterback set to join Houston next season.

Sanders remains a believer in always putting on a show for the folks back in Texas.

“It’s always a big deal for us to go anywhere and play. But not only play — become successful,” Sanders said. “And we play our type of football, and the way we go about doing it, that’s what makes it successful. Not just to go to Texas and play, but to win, and win in dominating fashion. That’s what we desire to do.”