Just fewer than 24 hours after receiving an offer from the Colorado Buffaloes, ThunderRidge High School offensive lineman Heston Paige decided to end his recruitment and commit to the in-state program that was the first Power 5 conference offer he gained.
Paige also has listed offers from Air Force and a host of FCS programs.
Truly Blessed. Glad to be a Buffalo! #CUin17 @CoachAdamsCUFB @CoachMikeMac @SixZeroStrength pic.twitter.com/9mmdMSZYXp
— Heston Paige (@HestonPaige) June 24, 2016
Paige’s commitment is the tenth for head coach Mike MacIntyre in the 2017 class and the third from the state of Colorado. If there was any doubt that the Buffs still prioritize recruits from Colorado, those detractors certainly haven’t taken notice of this class.
Joining Paige on the commitment list are Donte Sparaco and Jonathan Van Diest, though Sparaco announced yesterday that he will be leaving Cherry Creek and heading to the prestigious IMG Academy in Florida for his final year.
While Paige is only ranked as a two-star prospect according to Rivals.com, training with former CU and NFL lineman Matt McChesney–who works out some of the state’s best offensive linemen on a yearly basis–is certainly an endorsement. As is the fact that he received an offer promptly after working out for CU coaches this week.
Also notable is the fact that Paige’s commitment is the first offensive lineman in the class, a class that is quickly gaining notoriety around the country for its depth and strength at the top. As of publishing, Colorado’s recruiting class is ranked No. 5 in the Pac-12 Conference according to 247Sports.com’s Team Rankings.

0 Comments (1 conversation)
Wonderful. CU gets the 2-star and 3-star white-guy in-state prospects. Big whoop. The Sun Bowl is our only realistic chance.
What is the obsession with in-state talent? We’re landing great recruits in Texas, Florida and California and you’re down on getting a legitamately good in-state talent? Because he’s white?
He’s working with Matt McChesney, which is awesome, and I think this is the type of guy that we’ll redshirt so he can build size and we’ll all be surprised at how good he is come 2018.
Yeah, I’m down on a 2-star recruit. Wake me when we get a 4 or 5-star.
We’ve already got multiple 4* recruits this cycle, so…
Good. Looking forward to a bowl win by CU this year.