Deion, Buffaloes add 2024 4-star WR from Texas

Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff WriterDec 10, 2023, 03:57 PM ET

Dre’lon Miller, a four-star wide receiver, committed to Colorado on Sunday, adding to the Buffaloes’ rebound on the 2024 recruiting trail under coach Deion Sanders.

“Just the relationship [with Sanders],” Miller told ESPN about what stood out most. “And I felt the connection instantly. You know, I feel like that was God giving me the sign.”

Miller (No. 85 in the 2024 ESPN 300), who went on an official visit to Colorado last weekend, is the second ESPN 300 prospect to commit to the program since Thursday, when five-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton (No. 19 overall in 2024) committed.

Seaton and Miller give Sanders and his staff a much-needed boost with the early signing period looming Dec. 20. Athlete Aaron Butler (No. 70 overall in 2024), wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. (No. 87 in 2025 ESPN 300, and quarterbacks Danny O’Neil (2024) and Antwann Hill Jr. (No. 46 in 2025 ESPN 300) all decommitted from the Buffaloes since early November.

The addition of Miller, who had initially committed to Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M on June 29 before eventually decommitting in mid-October, is important because it comes less than 24 hours after Butler decommitted after pledging in May to Sanders, his father, Robb-Davon’s, former teammate with the Baltimore Ravens.

Miller, at 6-foot and 205 pounds, had a solid senior season for Silsbee High School (Texas), catching 52 passes for 1,010 yards and 11 touchdowns in 13 games. That followed a junior campaign when he had 59 receptions for 1,399 yards and 21 scores in 14 games.

He’ll provide quarterback Shedeur Sanders another prominent target to go along with Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn.

“I feel like I’ll be a good part of their offense,” Miller said. “Just get the ball in my hands to make plays, open up other receivers like Travis and Jimmy and have an explosive offense with the best quarterback.”

Miller added that he spoke to quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son, on Sunday morning.

“He was just congratulating me and let me know to get ready. ‘This thing about to be fun,”’ Miller said of Shedeur Sanders’ message.

The season-opening road upset of TCU highlighted a 3-0 start for Deion Sanders’ tenure. But Colorado (4-8, 1-8 Pac-12) lost eight of its final nine games, and now heads back to the new look, highly competitive Big 12, a league the Buffaloes played in from 1948 (known then as the Big Eight) through 2010.

The Buffaloes’ offense finished 80th in the FBS and ninth in the Pac-12 with 363.6 yards per game while their offense ended the year 59th in the country at 28.2 points a game (eighth in the Pac-12).

After decommitting from Texas A&M, Miller visited LSU last month and took trips to Miami and USC in June. The Aggies replaced Fisher with former Duke coach Mike Elko last month.

“I had the feeling that the coach was going to change,” Miller said of his decision to alter course in October. “I love Jimbo to death and I love Coach Elko, too. But he wasn’t Jimbo Fisher for me.

“Honestly, [my visit to Boulder] gave me that feeling. I went to a lot of visits and a lot of places. I had the feeling, but this visit just gave me the feeling like in my heart that this was the one. Me and my family talked about it. They had the same feeling. They went on every visit with me and we just realized that this was the school for me and my family.”