Former Appalachian State DL Dylan Manuel commits to Colorado
Former Appalachian State defensive lineman Dylan Manuel committed to Colorado out of the NCAA transfer portal. He spent one year with the program before coming to Boulder.
Manuel also played at Charleston Southern where he was a freshman All-American per Phil Steele. After playing at App State, he’ll have two years of eligibility remaining.
In 2025, Manuel finished with 37 total tackles, three sacks and one interception. He’ll look to add to those totals under Deion Sanders in 2026.
As a member of the Class of 2024, Manuel was not ranked, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He played his HS football at Stockbridge (Ga.) High.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
Manuel was not the only defensive lineman to commit to Colorado this portal cycle. The Buffaloes also landed Monmouth DL Lamont Lester Jr. He enjoyed a strong redshirt freshman season at Monmouth, recording 37 tackles, 11.5 TFL, 9.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Fresh off last season’s 9-4 campaign in which Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy Award and Shedeur Sanders won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Colorado struggled mightily on both sides of the ball this season. Its offensive output (328.9 YPG) ranked second to last in the Big 12, and its defense allowed 435.2 YPG (last in Big 12).
Following the program’s fifth consecutive loss to end the year, head coach Deion Sanders stated that Colorado deserves better than its 3-9 record.
“I wasn’t motivated (to get in this spot) and I’m not motivated to get out,” Sanders said postgame. “Getting out is what it’s gonna be. I don’t think it’s a motivation, it’s apart of life. This is what it’s gonna be. This fanbase, this school, and everybody deserves much better than this. They expected much better than this. I expected much better than this. We’re gonna give them much better than this, starting tomorrow.”
