Colorado
Colorado adds 4 prospects, including No. 5 DE
Colorado sent shockwaves through the recruiting world Thursday night when the Buffaloes landed 2025 commitments from IMG Academy defenders London Merritt and Alexander McPherson, offensive tackle Carde Smith and wide receiver Quentin Gibson, all in the span of 30 minutes.
The four prospects announced their pledges in consecutive live appearances on “Nightcap,” a nighttime talk show hosted by former NFL stars Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson.
Colorado’s flurry of late-night commitments came seven days after the Buffaloes secured a seismic pledge from five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, ESPN’s No. 2 overall prospect in 2025. With the additions, coach Deion Sanders holds 15 commitments in an incoming recruiting class that sits 50th in ESPN’s latest class rankings just days before the early signing period opens Wednesday.
Merritt, No. 52 in the ESPN 300, marks the highest-profile pledge among the newcomers bound for Colorado. ESPN’s No. 5 defensive end prospect, Merritt was the fourth-ranked member of Ohio State’s 2025 class before he pulled his pledge from the Buckeyes on Tuesday. Merritt now sits behind Lewis as the Buffaloes’ second-ranked commit in the cycle.
Merritt and McPherson took visits to Colorado earlier this month. McPherson’s commitment to the Buffaloes came one day after the 6-foot-3, 240-pound pass rusher decommitted from Oklahoma State.
Smith (No. 293 in the ESPN 300) is ESPN’s No. 32 offensive tackle prospect in 2025 and lands with Colorado after he pulled his pledge from USC on Nov. 20. The blocker from Mobile, Alabama, visited the Buffaloes multiple times this fall, and Smith now represents Colorado’s second top-300 offensive tackle pledge over the past two cycles, following five-star 2024 signee Jordan Seaton.
Gibson, a pass catcher from Fort Worth, Texas, also visited Colorado during the season and held offers from Illinois, Kansas State, Mississippi State and SMU, among others.
Sanders and the Buffaloes are closing strong in the 2025 cycle with seven commitments since Oct. 25. Colorado closes the regular season Friday with a visit from Oklahoma State at noon ET on ABC.
Colorado
Avalanche To Play Mammoth in 2027 Discover Winter Classic in Salt Lake City | Colorado Avalanche
NEW YORK – The National Hockey League announced today that the Colorado Avalanche will be the visiting team in the 2027 Discover Winter Classic and play the Utah Mammoth at the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. Additional details for the game, including ticketing information, date and start time, will be announced at a later date.
The 2027 Winter Classic marks the first time the Avalanche will play in the event and will be the fourth ever outdoor game the franchise plays in and the first one they’ll compete as the visiting team. Colorado hosted the Detroit Red Wings at Coors Field in the Stadium Series on Feb. 27, 2016, the Los Angeles Kings for the 2020 Stadium Series at Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium on Feb. 15, and the Vegas Golden Knights at Edgewood Tahoe Resort for the NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe event on Feb. 20, 2021.
“We’re excited and honored that the League selected us for the Winter Classic,” said Avalanche President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic. “The Avalanche organization is always proud to be in consideration for marquee events like this. We’re looking forward to being matched up with a great team and represent the Rocky Mountain region in a game that appeals to these two markets in this part of the country.”
The Avalanche are 1-2-0 all-time in outdoor games but captured the most recent one at Lake Tahoe by a 3-2 score.
Colorado has faced the Mammoth six times since their inception ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, and the Avalanche have posted a 4-1-1 record. The club also owns a 2-0-1 record against Utah this season, which includes beating them in the home opener when Nathan MacKinnon became the first player in NHL history to record a game-winning goal against 32 franchises.
Police in Northern Colorado are investigating after a crash involving multiple vehicles claimed the life of a pedestrian.
The Greeley Police Department received reports of a crash at the 5500 block of Highway 34 around 5:50 p.m. on Monday. When officers arrived, they discovered that two vehicles were involved in a crash with a 19-year-old woman who attempted to walk across the highway.
Police said there was no crosswalk in the area, and she was struck by the driver’s side of a Chevrolet Blazer. The impact knocked the woman into the inside lane, where she was struck by a Chevrolet Traverse. A witness told officers they saw the woman crossing the roadway ‘as traffic arrived at her location.’
First responders attempted life-saving measures on the woman at the scene before she was taken to North Colorado Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. GPD said the Weld County Coroner’s Office will release her identity at a later time.
Neither driver involved was injured in the crash. Police said they don’t expect charges to be filed against those drivers at the moment, but the case remains under investigation. The police department asked anyone with information on the crash to contact Officer Ed Kubala at Edward.Kubala@greeleypd.com.
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