Elijah Southwick
Former Florida Atlantic WR JaJohntay Wester announced his decision to transfer to Colorado earlier this month, joining a Buffaloes team that is looking to make a big jump in 2024 after a challenging first year under Head Coach Deion “Prime” Sanders. Colorado boasts the 21st ranked overall recruiting class according to 247sports, and 6th ranked overall class of incoming transfers. Wester’s commitment only bolstered what was already a strong recruiting job by Sanders and his staff.
Wester is an incoming fifth-year senior and broke out in a major way in 2023 at Florida Atlantic. His 108 catches in just 12 games ranked second among all FBS receivers, and his career high of 1,168 receiving yards led the American Athletic Conference. Wester was an unranked player in both Rivals.com and 247sports’ recruiting databases as an incoming freshman. He became FAU’s all-time leading receiver during his four year career. Now, he could be one good season away from punching his ticket to the NFL.
Wester will have tough competition for earning his targets from QB Shedeur Sanders at Colorado in 2024. The Buffaloes receiving group is led by WR/DB Travis Hunter, a unique football talent, and the team is returning Jimmy Horn Jr., who ranked third on the team in receiving yards in 2023. Joining Wester in the Colorado wide receiver recruiting class are transfers Will Sheppard, Cordale Russell, Terrell Timmons Jr. and incoming four-star freshman Drelon Miller.
Also joining Wester in the Colorado transfer class is his younger brother Jaylen. The two played together at Florida Atlantic and both entered the transfer portal after the 2023 season.
Wester has a major opportunity to prove his talents in 2024 among a stacked receiving group in a Power Five conference. Wester demonstrated elite playmaking ability in his final season in the AAC. His hands, route running, agility and run after the catch ability are all in-demand skills at the NFL level. If Wester establishes himself in the Colorado offense and comes even close to his 2023 levels of production, he’ll be generating NFL draft buzz.
Wester’s size (listed at 5-foot-11, 167 pounds in 2023) and small school transfer status are not considered weaknesses these days when it comes to NFL prospect evaluation. Houston Texans WR Tank Dell checked in at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds at the NFL combine and played at Alabama A&M and Independence Community College before posting elite production later in his college career. Dell was drafted high in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft and was one of the league’s most prolific first year players in a historically accomplished rookie class.
The college football world will be watching the Colorado Buffaloes and Coach Prime closely as they rejoin the Big 12 in 2024. It’s a new era of college football, and the conference will never be the same with Texas and Oklahoma leaving for the SEC. LaJohntay Wester could become a key piece to a storybook season for the Buffaloes as they compete for a potential Big 12 championship and a spot in the newly-expanded College Football Playoff.