Colorado University Athletics
Colton Brings Family-Driven Mindset To Colorado
June 18, 2026 | Football
BOULDER — Colorado Buffaloes freshman linebacker Rodney Colton Jr. wanted something different.
The freshman linebacker from Newnan, Ga., had options during the recruiting process, but Colorado offered more than a chance to play college football. It offered distance, growth and a fresh start.
"I wanted to get away from home," Colton said. "I wanted to go far and see how it was. Colorado was a good fit. Being recruited by [Assistant Linebackers] Coach [Andre'] Hart and the defensive staff they all showed me love, open arms, brought me in and I just got to it."
For Colton, the decision was not about chasing the most glamorous name. It was about finding the right fit.
"Some kids don't look at that in recruiting," Colton said. "They like the glamorous stuff, …who won the national championship. No, it was a great fit for me. So, I came here, hopefully show my talents and work out."
Colton arrived in Boulder as a 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker with a productive high school résumé. A three-star prospect by the recruiting services, he was listed as a four-star recruit by ESPN, which ranked him as the No. 23 linebacker in the nation and the No. 36 player from Georgia.
At Newnan High School in Newnan, a small town south of Atlanta, Colton played four varsity seasons under head coach Chip Walker and developed into one of the program's most productive defensive players. He finished his prep career with 157 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, five forced fumbles, five quarterback hurries, three interceptions, two pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.
As a senior, he helped lead Newnan to a 9-3 record and the second round of the Georgia Class 5A playoffs. He finished the season with 57 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, three defensive touchdowns, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
His junior season followed a similar path, as Newnan again went 9-3 and reached the second round of the playoffs. Colton recorded 51 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, one interception and one forced fumble that season.
The numbers show production. Colton believes his game is built on versatility.
"I can do anything you tell me to do," Colton said. "If I'm coming off the edge, blitzing the gap, dropping in coverage, if I even have to hop out in space a little bit. I'm versatile."
He takes pride in more than making tackles. At linebacker, Colton understands the position requires communication, command and trust.
"Just making sure everybody is lined up right and getting the call," Colton said. "I want to make plays, but I feel like everybody else wants to make plays, too. Just having everybody lined up right, we all want to make plays."
The transition to college football has required a different level of detail. In high school, Colton said much of the game came naturally. At Colorado, the playbook, personnel groupings and responsibilities have forced him to grow.
"In high school, I didn't have to do all the 'Where's my three? Where's my two?'" Colton said. "It was see ball, get ball. Now here, you actually have to know. That was big coming into college football."
That is part of why Colton chose to enroll early.
"I wanted to get here and get in the playbook early," Colton said. "I'm glad I enrolled early because it's a lot that comes with it, the plays we install every day. It taught me a lot from a boy-to-a-man perspective. You've got to know ball to play ball."
His first impression of Boulder was immediate.
"Whoa," Colton said. "I never seen mountains a day in my life until I got here. I never seen a crazy amount of snow."
One of his first memories in Colorado included stepping into deep snow and getting ambushed in a snowball fight by teammates. It was new, but it was also part of the experience he wanted.
"I fell on my face in the snow," Colton said. "But it was a good experience because I never seen snow like this."
The bigger adjustment has been being away from familiar faces.
"It is not like I can drive back home," Colton said. "I've got to catch a flight. Not seeing faces, it's very new. I FaceTime every day, so I keep in contact with the people I love."
Family is at the center of Colton's story.
Colton is the son of Veronica Mitchell and has five siblings: Zykerion Tucker, Zykeria Tucker, Kimora Clark, Natyla Mitchell and Devonta Allen. Growing up, Colton said his mother worked in home health care, which often meant he and his older siblings helped take care of the house and their younger siblings.
That responsibility shaped him.
"I just want to provide," Colton said. "Now that I can do that, I feel like I'm winning. I feel like I can help my mom, my sisters, my brothers. So it's still in me to keep going."
His motivation is simple.
"I hate seeing my mama cry," Colton said. "I hate seeing my siblings cry. I don't want to see nobody cry. I just want to see smiles."
Away from football, Colton describes himself as energetic, caring and someone who wants to lift people up. He said he does not go out much and prefers to rest, recover, train or spend time with teammates. Since arriving in Colorado, he has also discovered fishing and being outside.
For Colton, Boulder has introduced him to a different type of fun. He said he had never been to a creek and had never been fishing before coming to Colorado, but those bonding moments with teammates have helped him adjust to his new home.
"We go out, we have the creek," Colton said. "I have never been to no creek. We had some lakes, but I never been fishing, so it's a good experience. Now I like to fish."
Those outdoor activities have become part of his transition. Whether it is fishing, spending time near the water or simply enjoying a new environment with his teammates, Colton said those moments have helped him build bonds away from the facility. He also laughed about swinging from trees into the lake, another first that has helped him experience Colorado in a way he never did growing up in Georgia.
"I like to swing from trees into the lake," Colton said. "It's fun. I ain't never did it, so that's what I call fun."
Colton also has an interest in business and real estate. He said watching his mother rent out a house left by his grandmother opened his eyes to another source of income, and he wants to learn more about flipping houses.
Success outside of football, he said, looks like joy.
"Smiling faces," Colton said. "Everybody happy."
On the field, Colton's goal is to earn an opportunity early. He knows that will require continued growth, especially in the playbook, but his mindset has not changed.
"Win the day," Colton said. "That's all that goes through my head. Just win."
When Colorado fans hear his name, Colton wants them to think of someone who worked, attacked each day and proved he belonged.
"I've got to put forward the work, the effort, everything," Colton said. "Like I said, win the day. Attack the day."
But he also wants people to know the person behind the pads.
"I'm a very loving person," Colton said. "I care a lot. I just want to see everybody happy in life. I don't like nobody being sad. If you need somebody to vent to, I'm very open."
The freshman linebacker from Newnan, Ga., had options during the recruiting process, but Colorado offered more than a chance to play college football. It offered distance, growth and a fresh start.
"I wanted to get away from home," Colton said. "I wanted to go far and see how it was. Colorado was a good fit. Being recruited by [Assistant Linebackers] Coach [Andre'] Hart and the defensive staff they all showed me love, open arms, brought me in and I just got to it."
For Colton, the decision was not about chasing the most glamorous name. It was about finding the right fit.
"Some kids don't look at that in recruiting," Colton said. "They like the glamorous stuff, …who won the national championship. No, it was a great fit for me. So, I came here, hopefully show my talents and work out."
Colton arrived in Boulder as a 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker with a productive high school résumé. A three-star prospect by the recruiting services, he was listed as a four-star recruit by ESPN, which ranked him as the No. 23 linebacker in the nation and the No. 36 player from Georgia.
At Newnan High School in Newnan, a small town south of Atlanta, Colton played four varsity seasons under head coach Chip Walker and developed into one of the program's most productive defensive players. He finished his prep career with 157 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, five forced fumbles, five quarterback hurries, three interceptions, two pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.
As a senior, he helped lead Newnan to a 9-3 record and the second round of the Georgia Class 5A playoffs. He finished the season with 57 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, three defensive touchdowns, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
His junior season followed a similar path, as Newnan again went 9-3 and reached the second round of the playoffs. Colton recorded 51 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, one interception and one forced fumble that season.
The numbers show production. Colton believes his game is built on versatility.
"I can do anything you tell me to do," Colton said. "If I'm coming off the edge, blitzing the gap, dropping in coverage, if I even have to hop out in space a little bit. I'm versatile."
He takes pride in more than making tackles. At linebacker, Colton understands the position requires communication, command and trust.
"Just making sure everybody is lined up right and getting the call," Colton said. "I want to make plays, but I feel like everybody else wants to make plays, too. Just having everybody lined up right, we all want to make plays."
The transition to college football has required a different level of detail. In high school, Colton said much of the game came naturally. At Colorado, the playbook, personnel groupings and responsibilities have forced him to grow.
"In high school, I didn't have to do all the 'Where's my three? Where's my two?'" Colton said. "It was see ball, get ball. Now here, you actually have to know. That was big coming into college football."
That is part of why Colton chose to enroll early.
"I wanted to get here and get in the playbook early," Colton said. "I'm glad I enrolled early because it's a lot that comes with it, the plays we install every day. It taught me a lot from a boy-to-a-man perspective. You've got to know ball to play ball."
His first impression of Boulder was immediate.
"Whoa," Colton said. "I never seen mountains a day in my life until I got here. I never seen a crazy amount of snow."
One of his first memories in Colorado included stepping into deep snow and getting ambushed in a snowball fight by teammates. It was new, but it was also part of the experience he wanted.
"I fell on my face in the snow," Colton said. "But it was a good experience because I never seen snow like this."
The bigger adjustment has been being away from familiar faces.
"It is not like I can drive back home," Colton said. "I've got to catch a flight. Not seeing faces, it's very new. I FaceTime every day, so I keep in contact with the people I love."
Family is at the center of Colton's story.
Colton is the son of Veronica Mitchell and has five siblings: Zykerion Tucker, Zykeria Tucker, Kimora Clark, Natyla Mitchell and Devonta Allen. Growing up, Colton said his mother worked in home health care, which often meant he and his older siblings helped take care of the house and their younger siblings.
That responsibility shaped him.
"I just want to provide," Colton said. "Now that I can do that, I feel like I'm winning. I feel like I can help my mom, my sisters, my brothers. So it's still in me to keep going."
His motivation is simple.
"I hate seeing my mama cry," Colton said. "I hate seeing my siblings cry. I don't want to see nobody cry. I just want to see smiles."
Away from football, Colton describes himself as energetic, caring and someone who wants to lift people up. He said he does not go out much and prefers to rest, recover, train or spend time with teammates. Since arriving in Colorado, he has also discovered fishing and being outside.
For Colton, Boulder has introduced him to a different type of fun. He said he had never been to a creek and had never been fishing before coming to Colorado, but those bonding moments with teammates have helped him adjust to his new home.
"We go out, we have the creek," Colton said. "I have never been to no creek. We had some lakes, but I never been fishing, so it's a good experience. Now I like to fish."
Those outdoor activities have become part of his transition. Whether it is fishing, spending time near the water or simply enjoying a new environment with his teammates, Colton said those moments have helped him build bonds away from the facility. He also laughed about swinging from trees into the lake, another first that has helped him experience Colorado in a way he never did growing up in Georgia.
"I like to swing from trees into the lake," Colton said. "It's fun. I ain't never did it, so that's what I call fun."
Colton also has an interest in business and real estate. He said watching his mother rent out a house left by his grandmother opened his eyes to another source of income, and he wants to learn more about flipping houses.
Success outside of football, he said, looks like joy.
"Smiling faces," Colton said. "Everybody happy."
On the field, Colton's goal is to earn an opportunity early. He knows that will require continued growth, especially in the playbook, but his mindset has not changed.
"Win the day," Colton said. "That's all that goes through my head. Just win."
When Colorado fans hear his name, Colton wants them to think of someone who worked, attacked each day and proved he belonged.
"I've got to put forward the work, the effort, everything," Colton said. "Like I said, win the day. Attack the day."
But he also wants people to know the person behind the pads.
"I'm a very loving person," Colton said. "I care a lot. I just want to see everybody happy in life. I don't like nobody being sad. If you need somebody to vent to, I'm very open."
Players Mentioned
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