Nation's top uncommitted 2026 WR taking official visit to Colorado this weekend

While Deion Sanders and his staff at Colorado have not heavily prioritized high school recruiting since taking over in Boulder, they’ve still managed to land some elite recruits.

The Buffaloes are building a pipeline with one of the nation’s most prevalent high school football programs, too. Florida has been a hotspot in general, but IMG Academy prospects are giving CU a serious look. Sanders has signed three IMG players across the last two cycles.

Colorado’s 11-man class in the 2026 cycle doesn’t currently feature an Ascender, but it is getting one on campus for an official visit this weekend. Three-star wide receiver Christian Ward is now the top uncommitted WR in the cycle. On Wednesday morning, he announced via X that he’ll be in Boulder to see Colorado take on Delaware this Saturday.

The CU offer didn’t come for Ward until July 17, but it clearly made an impact on the 6-foot-3, 185-pounder. The wideout previously played his high school football at Carrollton (Ga.), the alma mater of new Buffs freshman quarterback Julian Lewis. Offensive analyst Rashad Davis extended the offer to Ward.

“It would be epic to reconnect with my bro (Julian Lewis),” Ward wrote upon announcing the offer.

After a move to Walton (Ga.), Ward is now at IMG for his senior season. Last cycle saw Colorado sign four-star EDGE London Merritt and three-star EDGE Alexander McPherson out of the program in Bradenton, Fla. The Buffs’ big get in the 2024 cycle was IMG Five-Star Plus+ offensive tackle Jordan Seaton.

Arizona State is another program that has caught Ward’s attention as of late as he now eyes an in-season decision. Michigan had some momentum going into the summer, but the Wolverines were not mentioned when speaking with Rivals last month.

Ward, who hails from Marietta, Ga., is the No. 599 overall prospect and No. 94 WR in the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 75 player in Florida.

As a junior for Walton, Ward caught 46 passes for 768 yards and 10 touchdowns, per MaxPreps. IMG is off to a 2-0 start this season and currently ranks as the No. 9 team in the nation, per the Massey Ratings.

Colorado’s 2026 class currently ranks No. 66 nationally, according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Three Floridians and one Georgian are committed to CU thus far: Newnan (Ga.) four-star linebacker Rodney Colton, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cypress Bay three-star interior offensive lineman Ben Gula, Orlando Jones three-star OT Xavier Payne and Seffner (Fla.) Armwood three-star safety D’Montae Tims.