Colorado men’s basketball team inks five-star forward Cody Williams
The Colorado Buffaloes made a historic move on the first day of the early signing period, officially signing Cody Williams, ESPN’s No. 14 ranked player in the nation.
BOULDER–On Nov. 9, five-star small forward Cody Williams signed his National Letter of Intent, officially committing to the University of Colorado.
Williams is currently ranked as the No. 14 player in the nation by ESPN, making him the highest-ranked recruit to officially commit to Colorado in the Tad Boyle era. He is the first five-star recruit to sign with Colorado since the introduction of recruiting databases, such as ESPN’s top 100.
The Arizona native released his top eight landing spots for the 2023-2024 season on Instagram this past August, with Colorado being one of four Pac-12 schools on the list. The Buffs emerged as the favorite to land Williams midway through October.
Colorado fought off Arizona, UCLA, and USC in their pursuit of the 6’8” forward, with LSU appearing to be Colorado’s biggest threat in the sweepstakes for the five-star.
Colorado also fought off Santa Clara, the same college where Cody’s older brother Jalen starred for three years before getting selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
With Williams’ decision made, he is looking to be one of the best players in program history–potentially Colorado’s first ever one-and-done player.
Williams is a great offensive player and is able to score from all three levels. He is a smooth ball-handler with a soft touch from the perimeter, but his size and athleticism allow him to attack the rim and work out of the midrange. If he continues to develop his three-point shot, he could be one of the most prolific scorers Colorado has ever seen. Outside of putting the ball in the hoop, Williams is a good passer and a solid offensive rebounder.
However, Williams’ potential does not end there. At 6’8”, the lanky forward has the tools to be one the best two-way players in his class. When Williams is engaged, his athleticism allows him to stay in front of players while his frame allows him to block shots and get his hands in passing lanes.
Williams earned Nike EYBL Third-Team All-Circuit honors in the Nike EYBL: Peach Jam last July. Williams played with Vegas Elite, averaging 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, along with 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks.
Williams will play his senior year at Perry High School in Arizona, looking to defend their 2022 6A Men’s Basketball State Title.
Along with Williams, Colorado also signed four-star guard Courtney Anderson. The 6’3” guard out of California also had offers from Arizona State, Cal Poly, California, and Nevada. He is currently ranked as the No. 18 recruit in California by ESPN.
With these new additions, Colorado moved to fifth in 247sports’ 2023 Pac-12 recruiting rankings. However, Tad Boyle and the Buffs may not be done just yet.
ESPN’s No. 56 ranked player in the nation Assane Diop is expected to make his commitment next week. Diop included Colorado along with Arkansas, Auburn, and Seton Hall in a July Instagram post sharing his top eight schools. The four-star power forward took his official visit to Colorado on Sept. 5. The Colorado native shared pictures on Twitter and Instagram from the visit.
If Colorado signs Diop, Tad Boyle will have signed a top three recruiting class in the Pac-12–potentially for the second time this decade. Diop would become Colorado’s 10th recruit with four stars or more since 2017, according to ESPN.
