Football is in the air once again, everyone! The sun is setting earlier, the takes are getting hotter, and Deion Sanders and his Colorado Buffaloes are looking to forge a new era in the post Shedeur Sanders/Travis Hunter world.
There are probably many in the media or posters on Reddit that cannot wait for the first Buffs loss of the season so they can get their “HAHAHAH DEION SUX” message out to the world. However, for those that know football, one can summarize this CU team might actually be quite a fun team to watch this season. Allow me to expand. And when I say expand, I mean here comes a big ol’ preview of the Buffs. I will be doing two of these, one for offense, one for defense. So strap in and let me take you through the Colorado Buffaloes offense.
QUARTERBACKS
We cannot talk about a football program without the Quarterback. It’s the money position (Literally if you look at Shedeur’s logo). There are some huge shoes to fill, though, as Shedeur Sanders had a hell of a two seasons at Colorado and does deserve to have his number retired. Don’t blame Prime because Kordell Stewart didn’t get his number retired in the 90s, he absolutely should have. With that said, let’s talk about the big two QBs of the group: Kaidon Salter, and Julian Lewis.
Salter is more than likely (and just should be) the starter for the season, being a senior transfer from Liberty. He’s coming in kind of to be the stop gap between Sanders and Lewis, as well as maybe help his draft stock as he wraps up his college career. What will immediately jump out to Buff fans is Salter’s agility. The guy is amazing on the run. If the Buffs are within five yards of the end zone, you can trust Salter to run whatever option he wants, and you can bet the house he will score. If he has to jump outside, he beats the defender to the pylon more times than not. If the defense traps the outside, he can quickly make that cut inside and sidestep into the end zone. Watching him run the option game will be a bunch of fun, and will unlock a new element for the Buffs offense.
As a passer, Salter has an amazing touch. If you want to know what it looks like when a QB puts a pass on a pillow for his receiver, Salter has tape for that. However, there are nitpicks here: At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, he is a little on the smaller side. So avoiding contact and getting down will be paramount for him in space. It was something he was good at at Liberty, as he showed great awareness to get out of bounds more often than not. Now this next one I want you to take with an enormous grain of salt, as this could just be the system and Kaidon was just doing what was asked, but man he likes to stare down his receivers.
Rarely did I see him go to the second read in game film. But again that could just be the system and what he was told to look at and where he was told to throw at Liberty. Finally, I want to see him add some zip to his passes on throws that require it. The touch is outstanding but he does rely on that and placement a bit much. The technique works in college, but definitely something he needs to work on if he wants to get to the league.
Now onto Julian “JuJu” Lewis, the 5-star recruit from Carrollton, Georgia. As a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year finalist, JuJu is the same height and weight as Salter, but he does have the advantage of youth on his side. So bulking to 200+ will be paramount (Lamar Jackson is 215 lbs for reference). Now obviously the only “tape” on JuJu is simply high school highlights, so let’s take that into account, but my oh my this guy is good. You can tell within a couple of plays why he was so highly-coveted, and a unanimous top-10 quarterback. Lewis was also rated the number 2 player and QB in the nation, according to ESPN. He earned a 93 rating (Side note: Since when did we start doing ratings like freakin’ Madden?!)
JuJu has amazing pocket presence for being 17-years-old, he climbs the pocket with the same poise and confidence as the rock climbers that live in Boulder when they free climb the Flations. His deep ball is just outstanding, great pace on it, floats for just enough, then tucks itself nicely into his receivers arms.
Lewis and Salter both could hit 50-yard bombs. JuJu also has technique and footwork long beyond his years, the left foot always points where the ball is going. He always gets his feet set even when running to his left. He has an amazing ability to snap his hips, get the feet set, and fire the pass off with the best of them. Finally, he’s got a really snappy and quick release. The ball gets out and the ball gets there. Lewis might be sitting to learn this year, but going forward, he has every bit the potential to even surpass Sanders in the hearts of modern CU fans’ favorite Quarterback. JuJu is going to be special.
SKILL POSITIONS (WR & RBs)
Call me Anakin Skywalker because this is where the fun begins! While yes on the surface the loss of Travis Hunter, LaJohntay Webster, and Jimmy Horn Jr to the NFL might seem massive on paper, and it is, this WR group is still stacked with talent that will want to break out now that those three are off to brighter pastures.
We can start with the man poised to be the number one guy: Dre’lon Miller. Now diving into Miller, I found out that I do in fact “Still got it”. I was watching Miller’s tape and man, he reminds me so much of young Deebo Samuel, and wouldn’t ya know who won the pony, Miller himself listed Deebo as his own comparison. It fits. He can line up in the RB position (Or the Deebo package if you play with the San Francisco 49ers’ offense) and can really affect the game from there. He can catch, take handoffs out of the backfield, and is super quick and shifty. It’s not just the Deebo packages that has got me salivating, it’s the possibilities of how Miller can be used in motion. I have visions of not sugar plums, but Miller running motion behind Kaidon Salter, and launching into a speed option with the two. Good googly moogly.
Next up we got Omarion Miller, a returning receiver. Omarion missed the final seven games of last season to injury, so Buffs fans did not get a good look at him, but man he has a lil somethin somethin. He’s a true deep threat, can Moss about anyone they throw at him. He also fights for those extra yards. Miller can get the ball with two yards to the first down or end zone and he’s getting it.
The next three receivers here are going to be wild cards. Let’s start with the Florida State transfer Hykeem Williams. Williams didn’t play a lot at FSU, but he flashed when he did (let’s also consider the QB situation at FSU last year too here). Williams is another big bodied receiver and super physical. He’s poised to break out this year. Next up we got Tulsa transfer Joseph Williams. Joseph (great name btw) at an insane 19.6 yards per catch went off for Tulsa last season. If he can even half that yards per catch with Colorado, that would be fantastic.
Williams presents another amazing vertical threat as well. Last but not least is my personal favorite: Sincere Brown. At 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, he’s an absolute anomaly of a receiver. He sincerely (I’m going to make that pun so many times this season) has gobbles of potential. His catch radius is essentially the entire planet. Oh and by the way he runs a 4.41-second forty-yard dash time. He needs to put on a bit of muscle and get to that magical 200 lb mark, but good grief, I cannot wait to see this guy playing at the Power Four level.
Now it’s time to get to the running backs. I can keep this one a bit quick as the RB room will more than likely feature the two returning backs Micah Welch and Dallan Hayden, respectively. However, I do want to shout out potential change of pace back and break out DeKaylon Taylor. He’s a shifty and quick back that can get outside. Having Hall-of-Famer Marshall Faulk coming over to take over as Colorado’s new running backs coach will be a work in progress.
The tight end room I can keep quick as well because CU might have a dog here. Zach Atkins, a transfer from NW Missouri State, is every bit the modern tight end that NFL teams look to draft. He can line up with his hand in the ground or out in the slot. Atkins is super athletic and can rip the seams up. He’s bringing an element to the tight end position CU hasn’t seen in quite some time. Outside of him, we will also have Brady Kopetz doing some of the dirty work as a blocking tight end, and maybe get a dash of Sav’ell Smalls as well.
OFFENSIVE LINE
To round out the offense, let’s talk about the big boys in the trenches, as Warren Sapp would say. The offensive line basically underwent a complete reboot outside Jordan Seaton. The former IMG Academy five-star of course needs no introduction. One of the best left tackles in college football, and more than likely a franchise player for a NFL team in about three years. Seaton is everything you want in your left tackle. He’s athletic, can get out there when it’s run block time, and he’s super nimble on his feet when chopping back.
On the other side of the line is Tennessee transfer Larry Johnson III. Johnson played LT with Tennessee but will move to RT and will form a very athletic and solid duo with Seaton. Johnson plays similar to Seaton in the athletic sense. Johnson is quick on the feet, does a great job getting downhill for blocking runs, and does a good job of keeping his hands inside the defender because fans hate nothing more than holding calls. The Left Guard position will be filled by Memphis transfer Xavier Hill. Hill is a 6’4 320lb beast. He is something teams love in the guard position, he can get out and he loves knocking dudes to the dirt. He can also be of use in power runs up the middle as he is a OSHA certified people mover.
The one concern I have is hand placement. Sometimes he reaches high a bit and that might get flagged a couple times, but I assume the much smarter coaches of CU will address that. At Center we will have LA Tech transfer Zarian McGill. McGill has a super high motor and does a hell of a job standing his ground in pass protection. Rarely will McGill let the pocket collapse on his watch. The big theme of this line is athleticism and McGill is another example. These CU linemen are going to be running around throwing guys down and I am all sorts of here for it. To round out the interior line we got right guard Zylon “Zy” Crisler, a transfer from Illinois.
Crisler is the big boy of the line at 6’7 340lbs. Crisler uses his size to his advantage as well, however there’s a point of concern with it; he tends to lean forward a bit on some pass protection plays, having his head and chest be more forward than his waist and legs. This could result in more savvy defensive linemen swimming and swiping Crisler away. Again, something I’m sure coaches also saw. The thing with Crisler that should send shivers down defensive spines is when it’s time for ‘Big Zy’ to pull. Imagine you’re a defender, I would just run the opposite direction. The line looks to be a huge upgrade from last year though all in all.
On paper, the Buffs offense won’t be as dynamic or borderline elite as it was with Sanders, Hunter… Ect. However there’s an underrated feeling here. Salter seems to be a really fun and dynamic QB, the receiver room while lacking in star power now, might produce some studs. Atkins is easily the best TE the Buffs have had under prime, and this offensive line is vastly improved from last year. Bowl game talk could probably be a bit much, but this will be a fun offense to watch, and might even shock some people.
MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS:
Big 12 conference makes final decision on player availability reporting
Oklahoma QB John Mateer breaks silence on gambling accusations