Joshua Shaw, a defensive lineman in the class of 2027, is being pursued by the Colorado Buffaloes. Shaw received an offer on a recent visit with the Kansas State Wildcats. A trip to Boulder is the next stop on this itinerary.
Joshua Shaw Player ProfileÂ
Joshua Shaw is a defensive lineman from Elmhurst, Illinois, who stands 6-3 and weighs 300 pounds. In February 2026, Shaw received an offer from the Buffaloes. Shaw now faces some competition from Kansas State within the conference. The Wildcats had a 6-6 record and a 5-4 Big 12 conference record at the end of the 2025 campaign. As a result, they finished in a four-way tie with the Iowa State Cyclones, TCU Horned Frogs, and Cincinnati Bearcats for eighth place in the conference.
Shaw discussed his trip to Kansas State with Allen Trieu of Rivals.I think their personnel is great. They get along well and are quite hospitable. I like how creative their coaching approaches are,” Shaw remarked. “The campus has a cool vibe…I love that their program is forward thinking…Plus it honestly feels like one big family in their facilities.”
If Colorado wants to win over Shaw, they will need to showcase the best aspects of Boulder and their program.
Colorado’s Recent Recruiting
The Buffaloes have mostly depended on the transfer portal to assemble their team since Deion Sanders became Colorado’s coach in 2023. Coloraod has 43 incoming transfers as of 2026, which is one of the highest numbers in the entire nation. The 2026 recruiting class rankings clearly reflect this.
The Buffs’ incoming high school recruiting class for 2026 is ranked No. 67 in the nation according to On3 rankings. Out of all the teams in the Power Four Conference, this is one of the weakest. The Oklahoma State Cowboys are the only Big 12 team with a worse ranking. Oklahoma State had a head coaching change in the summer and just finished a conference play season without a victory. Compared to Colorado, they are among the few clubs with more incoming transfers.
There were just eighteen commits in Colorado’s 2026 recruiting class, including sixteen three-stars, two four-stars, and zero five-stars. In 2026, “Coach Prime’s” team won’t be dependent on rookies. This has advantages and disadvantages.
The benefit is that it’s challenging to depend on players who haven’t played college football. On the other hand, there aren’t many freshmen on the team to help the program grow in the years to come.
With Deion Sanders as their coach, Colorado has seen highs and lows. They have a 16–21 overall record over their three seasons under “Coach Prime.” They went 4-8 in 2023. The Buffs made a swift comeback in 2024, winning nine games during the regular season.
They turned things around again in 2025, going 3-9. With Deion, Colorado will attempt to return to a bowl game in 2026 for the second time in four seasons. On September 3, they will play their first game of the season away from home against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
