Data study · every season we hold

Where Colorado High School Basketball Players Go to College

Of the 414 players from Colorado high schools on a college roster in our data, 36% played their college basketball in Colorado.

Computed from 414 players · 2020–21 to 2026–27 · updated Sep 1, 2026

414

players in the dataset

36%

stayed in Colorado

27%

reached D1

Minnesota

#1 destination outside Colorado

36% stay in-state.

Colorado is below the 43% all-state baseline.

Colorado skews toward D2.

43% of Colorado players in the dataset reached D2, against 23% nationally.

Minnesota and California are the first destinations out.

Among players leaving Colorado, 12% went to Minnesota and 9% to California.

Colorado's college players skew heavily toward D2

Colorado vs all states · share of players at each level

Colorado

D127%

D243%

D331%

n = 414

All states

D136%

D223%

D341%

n = 29,117

	CO	All states	Difference
D1	27%	36%	−9 pts
D2	43%	23%	+20 pts
D3	31%	41%	−10 pts

Where Colorado players land

Destination states

Destination state	Players	Share
Colorado	149	36%
Minnesota	33	8%
California	23	6%
Iowa	19	5%
South Dakota	18	4%
New York	13	3%
Nebraska	12	3%
Wisconsin	11	3%

Which programs take Colorado players

Historical landings

Program	Division	State	Players
Colorado Mesa	D2	Colorado	15
CSU Pueblo	D2	Colorado	15
North Central (MN)	D3	Minnesota	15
UCCS	D2	Colorado	15
Western Colorado	D2	Colorado	14
Fort Lewis	D2	Colorado	13
Northern Colorado	D1	Colorado	13
Adams State	D2	Colorado	12
Black Hills State	D2	South Dakota	11
Colorado School of Mines	D2	Colorado	11

Program	Division	State	Players
Northern Colorado	D1	Colorado	13
Colorado	D1	Colorado	10
Colorado State	D1	Colorado	6
Denver	D1	Colorado	5
Wyoming	D1	Wyoming	5
Idaho State	D1	Idaho	3
Air Force	D1	Colorado	3
Morehead State	D1	Kentucky	2
Niagara	D1	New York	2
Minnesota	D1	Minnesota	2

Program	Division	State	Players
Colorado Mesa	D2	Colorado	15
CSU Pueblo	D2	Colorado	15
UCCS	D2	Colorado	15
Western Colorado	D2	Colorado	14
Fort Lewis	D2	Colorado	13
Adams State	D2	Colorado	12
Black Hills State	D2	South Dakota	11
Colorado School of Mines	D2	Colorado	11
MSU Denver	D2	Colorado	8
Regis	D2	Colorado	7

Program	Division	State	Players
North Central (MN)	D3	Minnesota	15
Nebraska Wesleyan	D3	Nebraska	8
Buena Vista	D3	Iowa	6
Coe	D3	Iowa	5
Northwestern (MN)	D3	Minnesota	5
Carleton	D3	Minnesota	3
Grinnell	D3	Iowa	3
Bethany Lutheran	D3	Minnesota	2
Calvin	D3	Michigan	2
Carthage	D3	Wisconsin	2

What this means for a Colorado recruit

How to read it

Start local, but don't stop local.

36% of Colorado players in the dataset stayed in-state — the programs most likely to see you play repeatedly are the ones nearby.

Your realistic level matters more than geography alone.

Colorado's historical landings skew toward D2 (43% vs 23% nationally).

Past recruiting is a signal, not a guarantee.

A program that repeatedly rosters players from your state has demonstrated a pathway; it does not mean it will recruit you.

Those are the historical patterns for Colorado. Where does your profile fit?Depth Chart scores your size, position, level and recruiting profile against all 1,060 programs.

Start my free preview

Methodology

Source · sample · scope

414 players · 1,060 programs · 2020–21 to 2026–27

Definitions and scope

Source: Official rosters published by the athletics sites of 1,060 NCAA D1, D2 and D3 men's programs, collected by Depth Chart.
Home state: The state of the high school on the player's record — the same definition the state tool uses, so the two read the same data the same way.
Level: Each player counts once, at the highest level they reached across the seasons we hold (D1 over D2 over D3).
Sample: 414 players from Colorado high schools, across every season we hold; roster coverage runs 2020–21 to 2026–27. A state with fewer than 200 players in our data is not published, because it would describe a coincidence rather than a pattern.
Computed: September 1, 2026 · methodology state-landing-pages-1

Relatedfrom the same data

Data studyWhere Tennessee High School Basketball Players Go to College

32% of the 431 Tennessee high-school players in our data stayed in Tennessee for college; 48% reached Division I. Destinations, levels and the programs that take them most, from every season we hold.

Data studyWhere Pennsylvania High School Basketball Players Go to College

64% of the 1,690 Pennsylvania high-school players in our data stayed in Pennsylvania for college; 25% reached Division I. Destinations, levels and the programs that take them most, from every season we hold.

Data studyWhere Ohio High School Basketball Players Go to College

58% of the 1,342 Ohio high-school players in our data stayed in Ohio for college; 29% reached Division I. Destinations, levels and the programs that take them most, from every season we hold.