Inside Coderro McDaniel’s flip to Deion Sanders, Colorado football from Ole Miss

Coderro McDaniel was only going to leave Mississippi for a place (and coach) that reminded him of home.

That’s exactly why the three-star offensive lineman flipped his commitment from Ole Miss to Colorado. McDaniel committed to the Rebels on April 20 but took an official visit to Boulder on June 5. Less than two weeks later, he joined the Buffs‘ growing 2027 recruiting class.

“The connection with Coach Gunnar (White) and Coach Dre (Gurode),” McDaniel told DNVR of his decision to flip. “Coach Gunnar is a Mississippi guy so we have that relationship.”

Colorado offensive line coach Gunnar White is a native of Terry, Mississippi, a town less than 40 miles down the road from McDaniel’s hometown of Brookhaven, Mississippi. It was a Mississippi connection that anchored the interior of the Buffs’ offensive line in 2025 and now, that same connection has helped White land a pair of promising OL prospects from the state.

Four-star Colorado OL commit Li’Marcus Jones is the Buffs’ highest-ranked recruit in the 2027 class, according to 247Sports. He’s a native of Jackson, Mississippi and like Coderro McDaniel, is a former Ole Miss commit.

Gunnar White is likely most responsible for Colorado landing Jones and McDaniel, but he’s not the only reason. Deion Sanders is still one of the best closers in the recruiting world and he helped McDaniel forget that he was nearly 1,000 miles away from home.

“Coach Prime kept it real and I appreciate that,” Coderro McDaniel told DNVR. “They made it feel like home. I have a good connection with everyone up there.

“He (White) helped me fix my stance and with a couple drills so I can teach the young guys how to do it.”

Colorado is now the only Big 12 program with five offensive line commits in the 2027 class. The Buffs have the Big 12’s No. 4-ranked recruiting haul and a handful of targets nearing their decision date.

Colorado now has five offensive line commits in the 2027 class:

Coderro McDaniel (former Ole Miss commit)
Li’Marcus Jones (former Ole Miss commit)
Zaquan Linton (former Miami commit)
Jaiden Lindsay
Jayin Talib

— Scott Procter (@ScottProcter_) June 15, 2026

It’s shaping up to be the best recruiting class of the Coach Prime era at Colorado because of players like McDaniel and that has him thinking big.

“We’re set,” Coderro McDaniel said of the Buffs’ 2027 class. “We’re definitely going to get this natty.”

McDaniel is a 6-foot-7, 325-pound physical specimen who had offers from Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and others. He’s a two-time state champion in shot put despite claiming it’s just “something to get out the house and do.” McDaniel is also a power lifter, saying his massive bench and squat numbers help him dominate on the football field.

Colorado’s newest commit wants Buff Nation to keep a close eye on him when he arrives in Boulder.

“Just look for that No. 79 on the field because he’s going to be doing his job every play,” Coderro McDaniel told DNVR. “If it’s a big hole and the running back gets that touchdown, just know No. 79 did that.”

Follow Colorado Buffaloes beat reporter Scott Procter on X.