Players from Colorado with no earlier college roster elsewhere in the data filled 28% of roster spots in 2016 and 6% on the 2026 roster.
In 2016, 34 of 121 roster spots were filled by Colorado players not previously rostered elsewhere in the data. On the 2026 roster, 6 of 105 fit the same definition. The number of players previously rostered elsewhere changed from 4 to 48.
The median hometown distance moved from 815 mi in 2016 to 959 mi on the 2026 roster. The reliable geography record begins in 1975. Among players with a known home state, 38% were from Colorado, compared with 8% on the 2026 roster.
Before and during the portal era
2016–18 compared with 2021–25
- In-state, not rostered elsewhere
- Previously rostered elsewhere
| Measure | 2016–18 | 2021–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-state, not rostered elsewhere | 28.2% | 14.4% | |
| Previously rostered elsewhere | 3.7% | 28.5% |
The 2026 roster
- 1,004 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 101 located players.
- 7.8%In-state7.8% of players with a known home state are from Colorado.
- 5.9%Backyard5.9% of players with a located hometown grew up within 100 miles of campus.
- 45.7%Previously rostered elsewhere45.7% of the roster appeared on another college roster in an earlier season.
Where Colorado ranks
Homecoming Radius over time
The median hometown-to-campus distance, by season. The dotted line is the FBS median.
Roster composition over time
Where the in-state lens draws the line: home-state players with and without an earlier college roster, out-of-state players with and without one, and players with unknown geography. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.
Where do Colorado's players come from?
| Season | Roster | In-state | Rostered elsewhere | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 105 | 7.8% | 45.7% | 959 mi |
| 2025 | 105 | 11.8% | 44.8% | 976 mi |
| 2024 | 111 | 13.1% | 42.3% | 994 mi |
| 2023 | 113 | 10.8% | 35.4% | 926 mi |
| 2022 | 117 | 21.7% | 9.4% | 826 mi |
| 2021 | 104 | 25.2% | 10.6% | 824 mi |
| 2020 | 120 | 25.4% | 5.8% | 815 mi |
| 2019 | 113 | 25.7% | 4.4% | 825 mi |
| 2018 | 115 | 26.5% | 5.2% | 830 mi |
| 2017 | 115 | 31.0% | 2.6% | 819 mi |
| 2016 | 121 | 29.2% | 3.3% | 815 mi |
| 2015 | 122 | 29.5% | 0.8% | 817 mi |
| 2014 | 112 | 22.3% | 0.0% | 829 mi |
| 2013 | 118 | 26.5% | 0.8% | 830 mi |
| 2012 | 105 | 26.9% | 1.0% | 820 mi |
| 2011 | 104 | 34.0% | 1.9% | 795 mi |
| 2010 | 104 | 35.0% | 3.8% | 794 mi |
| 2009 | 108 | 28.3% | 2.8% | 865 mi |
| 2008‡ | 35 | 12.0% | 5.7% | — |
| 2007‡ | 40 | 6.3% | 5.0% | — |
| 2006‡ | 32 | 0.0% | 3.1% | — |
| 2005‡ | 38 | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| 2004‡ | 35 | — | 0.0% | — |
| 2003archive | 108 | 41.0% | 0.0% proxy | 661 mi |
| 2002archive | 117 | 41.2% | 0.0% proxy | 656 mi |
| 2001archive | 103 | 39.0% | 0.0% proxy | 692 mi |
| 2000archive | 98 | 37.9% | 0.0% proxy | 796 mi |
| 1999archive | 109 | 33.9% | 0.0% proxy | 803 mi |
| 1998archive | 109 | 22.4% | 0.0% proxy | 820 mi |
| 1997archive | 91 | 23.9% | 0.0% proxy | 808 mi |
| 1996archive | 108 | 23.8% | 0.0% proxy | 804 mi |
| 1995archive | 95 | 28.3% | 0.0% proxy | 769 mi |
| 1994archive | 93 | 28.1% | 0.0% proxy | 815 mi |
| 1993archive | 98 | 28.0% | 0.0% proxy | 789 mi |
| 1992archive | 98 | 31.6% | 0.0% proxy | 802 mi |
| 1991archive | 104 | 33.3% | 0.0% proxy | 803 mi |
| 1990archive | 123 | 36.1% | 0.0% proxy | 776 mi |
| 1989archive | 103 | 32.0% | 0.0% proxy | 790 mi |
| 1988archive | 97 | 30.9% | 0.0% proxy | 789 mi |
| 1987archive | 114 | 37.7% | 0.0% proxy | 686 mi |
| 1986archive | 102 | 46.1% | 0.0% proxy | 569 mi |
| 1985archive | 108 | 38.3% | 0.0% proxy | 626 mi |
| 1984archive | 105 | 43.7% | 0.0% proxy | 625 mi |
| 1983archive | 101 | 41.4% | 0.0% proxy | 600 mi |
| 1982archive | 102 | 36.7% | 0.0% proxy | 666 mi |
| 1981archive | 84 | 29.3% | 0.0% proxy | 801 mi |
| 1980archive | 97 | 31.6% | 0.0% proxy | 798 mi |
| 1979archive | 92 | 38.9% | 0.0% proxy | 686 mi |
| 1978archive | 94 | 33.3% | 0.0% proxy | 795 mi |
| 1977archive | 94 | 38.6% | 0.0% proxy | 686 mi |
| 1976archive | 91 | 33.0% | 0.0% proxy | 820 mi |
| 1975archive | 82 | 38.5% | 0.0% proxy | 795 mi |
In-state shares use players with a known home state. Radius uses located hometowns.
‡ fewer than 70 roster rows or under 75% known home state. Treat with caution.
archive = official athletic-site roster. “Proxy” is the share listing a previous school where that field behaved like a transfer field; it is not the same measure as the share previously rostered elsewhere.
Where the roster grew up
Located hometowns on the 2026 roster, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.
Homecoming Radius: 959 mi