Colorado came out of spring feeling pretty good about its top group at cornerback, but head coach Deion Sanders promised depth was on the way.
“We got four more corners coming,” Sanders said after the Black & Gold scrimmage on April 27.
On Monday, the Buffaloes landed another one of those four, as former Furman starter Ivan Yates announced that he will transfer to CU to play for Sanders and the Buffs.
Yates is the second corner to commit since the spring game, joining Auburn transfer Colton Hood. The Buffs also have a pair of recent high school commits on the way this summer.
A 6-foot, 180-pound graduate transfer with two seasons of eligibility remaining, Yates earned a business administration degree last weekend.
This past season, Yates came off the bench for the first four games, but wound up starting the last nine games in helping the Paladins (10-3) advance to the second round of the FCS playoffs. He finished with 40 tackles and five pass breakups.
During his four seasons at Furman, Yates appeared in 37 games, with 15 starts, posting 93 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one interception and 13 passes defended.
Yates played in all seven Furman games as a reserve during the pandemic-delayed 2020 season, which was played in the spring of 2021. In the fall of 2021, he was a starter for the first four games, posting 13 tackles, before a finger injury caused him to miss the rest of the season.
As a redshirt sophomore in 2022, Yates played in all 13 games, including two starts, recording 35 tackles, an interception and seven passes defended. The Paladins reached the second round of the FCS playoffs that year.
A 2020 graduate of Roswell (Ga.) High School, Yates had 16 offers, including from Air Force, SMU and Liberty.
CU relied on veterans Preston Hodge, Travis Hunter and DJ McKinney at corner this spring, but Yates gives the Buffs even more experience at that spot.
Redshirt freshman Isaiah Hardge also went through the spring with the Buffs. Hood, Yates and incoming freshmen Ebenezer Bouzi and Malakai Murphy will join the mix this summer.
