Colorado added its third addition to the 2026 class on Tuesday as four-star cornerback Preston Ashley announced his commitment to CU.
The Rivals250 prospect narrowed down his top 3 programs to Florida, Florida State and Colorado. Following Ashley’s official visit to Colorado last weekend, Hall of Fame cornerback and head coach Deion Sanders and his staff were able to quickly land the talented, young corner.
Getting to the NFL is a prominent goal for Ashley as his father Tyrone Ashley played with the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers. His dad has played a significant role in helping him during his recruitment, and both Ashley and his father believed Colorado would be the ideal fit in helping him reach the pro level with the plethora of NFL experience across Colorado’s coaching staff.
“Always growing up, my dad has been coaching me hard and getting me ready to get to college and get so far in college to the NFL,” Ashley said. “I get the best coaching like I've been getting from home when I go to Colorado because coach [Kevin] Mathis, coach [Robert] Livingston, Coach Prime they all have been in the big leagues. They all have been in the NFL so they know what it takes to get there. That's where I want to be at the end goal.”
In addition to the NFL experience, Ashley was receptive to much of the conversations he had with the coaching staff. Even though he was over 1,000 miles away from his home state, he felt comfortable and confident during his visit in Boulder.
“Everything that [Coach Prime] was saying, I felt like I was back at home in Brandon, Mississippi. I knew that was the home that I wanted to be in,” Ashley said. “I knew that was where I wanted to play collegiate because, I mean, why not Colorado? That's really the question. Colorado just had a Heisman Trophy winner, had a great season, and we're gonna be on the way to win a national championship.”
Coming out of Brandon High School in Mississippi, the 6-foot, 172-pound prospect collected 22 offers after a productive junior season where he recorded 68 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and a fumble recovery for a touchdown, per MaxPreps. During his three-year high school career so far, Ashley has posted 168 tackles and two interceptions in 29 games.
Ashley’s ability at cornerback quickly elevated his ranks as he is the 11th-ranked prospect in Mississippi, 15th nationally at the position and sits 226th in the 2026 class.
There is more work to be done in Mississippi as his senior season awaits him this fall. Once his final year in high school concludes, he's excited to get to work with Colorado and the Buffs' pursuit for a national championship.
"The thing I'm most excited for is balling and making sure Coach Prime has another thing to his resume, that's a national championship,” he said.
With Ashley’s commitment, Colorado now has two four-star commits and three total players in the 2026 including four-star tight end Gavin Mueller and three-star edge Domata Peko Jr.
