Deion Sanders, Colorado Land OL Tyler Johnson, Yakiri Walker from CFB Transfer Portal

The much-maligned Colorado offensive line is getting reinforcements for the 2024 season.

Guard Tyler Johnson and center Yakiri Walker both announced on Saturday they are transferring to the Buffaloes to play for head coach Deion Sanders.

This is the third notable offensive line recruit the Buffaloes have landed this week. Jordan Seaton, a 5-star prospect and top-ranked tackle in the 2024 class, committed to Colorado on Thursday.

Johnson entered the transfer portal on Wednesday after spending the past two seasons at the University of Houston. He appeared in 12 of the Cougars' 13 games during the 2022 campaign, with 10 starts coming at right guard.

The 23-year-old began his college career at Texas from 2019 to '21. His only appearance with the team came during the 2020 season in the Alamo Bowl against Colorado. He transferred to Houston in April 2022.

Walker spent the past three seasons at the University of Connecticut. After redshirting in his first year, he got into five games during the 2022 campaign. The Texas native appeared in all 12 games for the Huskies this season.

Per On3.com, Johnson is the No. 7 interior offensive line prospect in the transfer portal. Walker checks in at No. 16 overall on that list.

Sanders wasn't shy about criticizing Colorado's offensive line this season. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was sacked an FBS-high 52 times in 11 games. He does have a propensity to hold onto the ball longer than he should, but there were plenty of times when the protection in front of him broke down and forced him to go into playmaking mode.

This season did showcase the type of skill-position talent Sanders can recruit, but the next step in the offense's evolution is being able to stop opposing defenses in the trenches.

The early returns for Sanders in recruiting and the transfer portal are very encouraging that Colorado can fix those protection issues quickly.