Jehiem Oatis is headed back to the portal, and that’s a sneaky big loss for Colorado. The former Alabama defensive lineman spent one season in Boulder and is now looking for one more stop to close out his college career. He’s got one year of eligibility left, and with his resume, it’s not going to take long for schools to start hitting him up.
Oatis is a dude who’s seen a lot of football. He’s played in 40 career games across two Power Four programs and racked up nearly 1,000 career snaps. He’s listed at 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, and when he’s locked in, he’s one of the more disruptive interior guys you’ll find in the portal this cycle. At Alabama, he was a rotational piece who started 13 games over three years. Then he hit the portal and landed at Colorado, where he gave the Buffs a boost in the trenches.
In 2025, Oatis was credited with 11 pressures, not bad at all for a guy playing on the inside in a league that throws the ball around like crazy. Colorado didn’t have a dominant defense this year, but he was one of the few semi-consistent presences on that side of the ball. And given the way that team faded down the stretch, losing a guy like Oatis just adds to the offseason to-do list in Boulder.
This portal move feels more like a business decision than anything else. Oatis was a Top 40 recruit coming out of high school, and the traits that made him that kind of prospect are still there. He’s massive, has good feet for his size, and he’s proven he can play in multiple systems. If you’re a Power Four program that needs help on the interior, this is a plug-and-play option.
For Deion Sanders and Colorado, the loss is noticeable but not the end of the world. The Buffs need more depth up front, not less, but Oatis is a player who definitely commanded some NIL money. While he won’t be easy to replace, there’s a chance that this works out for the best in Boulder with an upgrade at the position that costs fewer dollars.
Oatis will be a name to watch wherever he ends up. He’s been around the block, and he’s got one more shot to make it count.
