It's far from a breaking news item that Cherry Creek's Blake Purchase is among the top Class of 2023 prospects in the state of Colorado.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound edge/outside linebacker has been on CU's radar for some time, having picked up an offer from the Buffaloes back in November of 2020.

That offer came from the now-departed Brian Michalowski, who, after overseeing Colorado's outside linebackers from 2019-21, was not retained by Karl Dorrell earlier this January.

Michalowski's reputation was one of building strong bonds with the players he recruited.

With his departure, plus the plethora of other offers Purchase currently has in front of him, it is fair to question whether or not the Buffs are still in good shape with him, given the coaching staff overhaul that Dorrell only recently completed.

However, following a recent unofficial visit up in Boulder, Purchase got the vibe that the new regime at CU is definitely still interested in him.

“They’re definitely treating me as a priority — nothing’s really changed from coach 'B-Mike' with these new coaches coming in," Purchase said. "I definitely feel like a priority up there, with how they check in with me pretty often and everything.”

Purchase headed down to Boulder with his Bruins teammates Chase Brackney and Hank Zilinskas, two players who recently picked up offers from the Buffaloes, too.

Wide receiver Ismael Cisse was the most recent Class of 2023 player at Cherry Creek to have been offered by CU; all in all, the Buffs are involved with a solid handful of Bruins players as the new recruiting cycle takes off.

While in Boulder at the end of January, Purchase was able to sit down with Buffs d-line coach Vic So'oto, whom he knew from a prior visit at USC.

So'oto, hired by Dorrell on Dec. 30, came to Boulder having most recently coached Southern Cal's defensive line from 2020-21.

Purchase similarly chatted with offensive coordinator Mike Sanford.

While ultimately, were Purchase to choose Colorado, Wilson would be overseeing his development, he nonetheless enjoyed getting a feel for the new staff Dorrell has assembled at Colorado.

“I’m definitely starting to see a big shift in just their momentum with recruiting." Purchase said. "I certainly see that they’re really trying to make a change to start winning. That’s probably the biggest thing I’ve seen."

"They’re trying to build a better culture up there and I really see it just with the shift in the coaching staff — they’re really starting to change for the better. They're starting to change and trying to win some games.”

Since the calendar flipped from 2021 to 2022, Purchase has reeled in offers from Washington, Cal Berkeley, Nebraska, Kansas and Arizona State.

USC remains in the mix for him, while Texas Tech, Washington State and Oregon State have also offered.

Iowa State likely will remain a program for the Buffs to fend off, as Purchase's older brother, Myles, signed with the Cyclones' 2020 class.

For now, Wilson appears to have picked up nicely where Michalowski left off.

“I’ve talked to coach Wilson a lot the past three or four times I’ve been up there," Purchase said. "He’s always treated me like I’m really a priority in their recruitment, just talking about keeping the in-state guys home. He’s been adamant about getting me up (to Boulder).”