Penn State football commit set to visit Colorado, Deion Sanders this weekend

It’s not often that the Penn State football team has to out-dual the Colorado Buffalos for a recruit. But, whenever Deion Sanders and his coaching staff enter the race, you never know what opportunities could be presented to a player. It now appears that Sanders is recruiting a current Nittany Lion commit in the 2025 recruiting class, Antonio Branch who is slated to visit the Buffalos this weekend.

Antonio Branch is a four-star safety prospect according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Branch is from Miami (Florida) and committed to the Penn State football team on June 19. But that commitment could be in flux due to an offer he picked up in early September. That’s when Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffalos entered the race for Antonio Branch.

While several Nittany Lion commits have announced that they will return to Happy Valley this weekend for the Kent State game, Branch has announced he is headed to Colorado to visit the Buffalos for their game against Baylor. Sanders is known for his strong recruiting efforts in Florida. A great example is WR Jimmy Horn who he gathered via the transfer portal from USF. Horn has evolved into an elite playmaker for the Buffalos.

While Branch stays committed to Penn State, James Franklin and his staff will need to work hard to keep his pledge. Branch ranks as the No. 53 player in Florida and the No. 37 safety in the 2025 recruiting class.

I will be visiting Colorado this weekend #GoBuffs🦬

— Antonio Branch jr (@3gumpp) September 19, 2024

What’s the future in Colorado?

Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

While there’s no concrete evidence that this will happen, there has been speculation about the future in Colorado. It doesn’t appear that Deion Sanders and his coaching approach have translated well to the Power Four level. With a mass exodus of players leaving and joining the team each transfer portal cycle.

His son Shedeur Sanders who plays quarterback for the Buffalos as well as two-way star Travis Hunter are both likely going to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft after this season. Which makes many wonder, what will Sanders do? The reason I bring this up is if Branch is blown away from his visit with the Buffalos this weekend, one would assume the same thoughts are crossing the minds of recruits at this very moment.

Whereas in Happy Valley, James Franklin has been as stable as one could ask for in terms of his unwavering dedication to Penn State over the past decade.

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