The Colorado football team is in the midst of a dream season.

Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes are 8-2 (6-1 Big 12) and control their own destiny to appear in the Big 12 title game, but the Coach of the Year candidate has an eye on the future.

“There’s not a week or a few days that go by that we’re not talking to a recruit that we’ve targeted,” Deion Sanders said last week. “We already have this thing mapped out. Not only for this year, but for the year thereafter.

“We’re kind of thinking ahead on these things.”

Mantrez Walker is a big part of that future.

A former Michigan commit, the three-star linebacker from Buford, Georgia committed to Colorado in April over offers from LSU, Miami, Ole Miss, Penn State and others. Walker says he’s been “locked in” with the Buffs since then and returned to Boulder over the weekend to watch Colorado’s dominant win over Utah.

The recent visit reminded him why he chose the Buffs over a handful of other Power 4 programs.

“I just feel like it’s different in Colorado,” Mantrez Walker told DNVR. “No matter what anybody is doing out here, they have to tune into what Colorado has going on.

“All the stars are out. You’ll see some people that you probably would never see at a regular game. You get a chance to be around all different types of people who are invested in CU, they call your name out and all of that.”

Colorado football fans should get used to calling out Mantrez Walker’s name.

Not only will Walker be in Boulder next month as an early enrollee, he’ll also be in position to contribute right away as a freshman. Nikhai Hill-Green said after the Utah win that “this is our last go-round” for he and fellow starting linebacker LaVonta Bentley.

That could open the window for Walker to be the next true freshman to make an impact for Deion Sanders.

“The coaches have preached to me that a lot of linebackers are leaving so I can come in and fill that void if I just put my head down and work,” Mantrez Walker said. “I’m used to being in competitive environments so that’s not going to be anything new to me.

“I’m going to be ready to work, learn everything I need to learn and just apply it on the field. I feel like I’ll have the opportunity to do that.”

Hill-Green and Bentley have combined for 117 total tackles entering Week 13. The LB duo has helped transform the Buffs’ run defense, something Walker also gives his future position coach a ton of credit for.

“I feel like both of them are balling and I can see myself fitting into both of those roles,” Mantrez Walker said. “41 (Hill-Green) makes a lot of plays, Bentley makes a lot of plays and they work well together.

“That’s just a testament to Coach (Andre) Hart (linebackers coach) working with them. Just seeing how he can help them have that kind of production means the world and I feel like I can also thrive under him.”

One thing linebackers who play for Hart and defensive coordinator Robert Livingston must do is communicate at a high level. That’s a part of Walker’s game that has grown the most during his senior season at Buford.

“This year, I’ve been able to showcase more versatility by playing out of the box a little bit,” Mantrez Walker said. “I’m able to be play in space a lot more but I think I’ve evolved as a leader of the defense, just calling the shots and controlling everything going on around me, making checks, calls and stuff like that. Just being that field general in the middle.”

Walker is one of 10 high school football players currently committed to Colorado’s 2025 recruiting class, and he believes that there’s plenty more on the way.

A few of them might’ve been in Boulder with Walker last weekend for the Utah game.

“Me personally, I feel like we’re going to come in and make a big impact,” Mantrez Walker said. “2024 (class), they came in and did that so I feel like a lot more of our guys are going to play. I definitely feel like we have some big flips on the way.

“Big Mike Carroll, Nate (Owusu-Boateng), Alexander McPherson, I feel like all those IMG boys are going to come. Ju Ju (Lewis) and Carde (Smith), that’s really going to cap off the class. It might even be a couple more in the works. Everybody that we went out and pretty much recruited, I think they’re going to come through.”

The Buffs’ on-field success this season makes their pitch to recruits much easier, but that doesn’t mean that Walker isn’t also doing his part to ensure that the 2025 class is special.

In fact, Walker’s message to prospects considering Colorado is fairly simple.

“Come home, man,” Walker said. “We’re building something special, something with Coach Prime that hasn’t been done before. I feel like we definitely could start something new.

“The talent pool is moving around. It’s not all in the SEC anymore. Things have changed. We can be the catalysts to getting all that type of stuff done.”

Follow Colorado Buffaloes beat reporter Scott Procter on X.