Colorado kicks off its 2026 season tonight in Atlanta, and the biggest storyline before the ball is even snapped has nothing to do with Deion Sanders' latest quote. It's whether Danny Scudero, the transfer receiver who was supposed to be this offense's headline addition, can even suit up.
Colorado WR Danny Scudero is a game-time decision tonight against Georgia Tech, sources tell @On3. The San Jose State transfer was battling an injury early in fall camp. Had 88 catches for 1,297 yards and 10 TDs last season with the Spartans. t.co/klsa5UaBNs
Pete Nakos reported for On3 that Scudero is a game-time decision against Georgia Tech, with sources telling him the San Jose State transfer has been battling an injury since early in fall camp. No word yet on the exact nature of it, so treat this as a wait-and-see situation until Colorado's inactive list drops.
The stakes here are real. Scudero led the entire FBS in receiving yards last season, catching 88 passes for 1,291 yards and 10 touchdowns at San Jose State, good enough to land him on the Associated Press All-America Second Team and get him named a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist. That kind of production at a Group of Five school is exactly the profile that gets a coach like Sanders on the phone the moment the transfer portal opens.
And Scudero's path to that stat line wasn't a straight line. He started his career at Sacramento State, an FCS program, before bumping up to San Jose State and torching the Mountain West. He walked out of high school at Archbishop Mitty with a grand total of one scholarship offer, listed at 150 pounds. Colorado even connected him with former Patriots great Julian Edelman this spring, pairing him with another undersized slot receiver who made a career out of getting open regardless of size.
Now all of that momentum is on hold for a night while the medical staff makes a call. Georgia Tech beat Colorado 27-20 in last year's opener, and the Yellow Jackets enter as 6.5-point favorites at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Losing your best offensive weapon for a road opener against a team that already has your number would be a brutal way to start the Brennan Marion era at offensive coordinator.
Buffs fans will be watching the pregame inactive list as closely as the opening kick. If Scudero jogs out with the starters, Colorado's offense looks a lot scarier than it did on paper this spring. If he doesn't, it's on backup receivers to fill a void that the nation's leading pass-catcher left behind.