Welcome to BuffsBlog Bites – your one-stop shop for all things Buffs. Whether you’re a fan of football, basketball, or just the drama of college athletics in general, this blog post is for you. We’re looking at seven major storylines that every CU fan should have bookmarked, memorized, and possibly tattooed somewhere.
Gavin Mueller, Gronk 2.0? Buffs Land a Tight End That is Shooting Up Recruiting Boards
If you asked a tight end to design a video game avatar of himself, it might look a lot like Gavin Mueller. 6-foot-6, 255 pounds, with a 36-inch vertical jump, a 6-foot 11-inch wingspan (!), and a 10+ foot broad jump. This man could probably jump over Ralphie if he got a good run-up.
Mueller committed to the Buffs yesterday over offers from LSU, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Minnesota, Houston and more. And intriguingly, Mueller has only played football for two years as he focused on playing basketball for most of his youth. Folks inside the Champions Center are buzzing that Mueller could be the most athletic tight end recruit in the nation, and we wouldn’t be surprised if he cracks the top 10 at tight end nationally by the end of his senior year.
Currently, Mueller is ranked the #23 tight end nationally on rivals and the #42 tight end nationally on 247…but folks, this is after playing football for only 2 years. This is a guy who could go from project to problem real fast for opposing defenses.
Watch this space: Deion Sanders and staff might have found their TE matchup nightmare
College Football OTAs? Yes, You Read That Right
College football is officially stealing from the NFL playbook. A new proposal floated by the NCAA rules committee could bring six OTA-style practices to college campuses in May and June. Add that to the usual 15 spring practices and voila — 21 out-of-season practices total.
The OTA-like practices would be non-contact, but make no mistake, this could be a massive edge for teams that can efficiently install offensive and defensive systems during the OTA before players break for player-led practices in the summer.
What it means for Colorado if put in place this year:
- More time to indoctrinate Kaidon Salter and JuJu Lewis into the Pat Shurmur’s system.
- A chance for spring tranfsers to learn the team’s systems before training camp begins in earnest in early August.
- Bonus: it gives us more reasons to stalk CU practice footage in early summer.
Bring on the OTAs. Let the CU Sponsored State Media YouTube Channels roll.
Big 12 Win Totals Are Out, and They Are Chaos
The folks at Circa Sports just dropped their Big 12 win total projections, and let’s just say this conference is a Vegas oddsmaker’s fever dream. Here’s the full rundown:
Arizona State 8.5
Kansas State 8.5
Texas Tech 8.5
Baylor 7.5
BYU 7.5
Iowa State 7.5
Kansas 7.5
Utah 7.5
Houston 6.5
TCU 6.5
Cincinnati 6
Colorado 6
Arizona 5.5
UCF 5.5
Oklahoma State 5
West Virginia 5
So, you’re telling me every team is projected to be just fine? Not great, not bad. Just aggressively .500-ish.
Colorado sits at 6 wins. Seems a little low to me, but understandable given the national attention placed on the departure of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.
Biggest takeaway? This league is up for grabs. If CU can establish a running game to help the team’s QBs, there’s a material chance that CU can win the Big 12 given that Colorado should have the Big 12’s best defense.
Halves vs. Quarters in Men’s Hoops — What Are We Even Doing?
There’s been a weird momentum building to move men’s college basketball from two 20-minute halves to four quarters. The stated reason: “game flow.” The actual reason? Probably to wedge in another ad break for Liberty Mutual Insurance or Wingstop.
The NCAA men’s basketball rules committee has proposed changes to “enhance the flow of the game” that involves moving the men’s game from 2 halves to 4 quarters. https://www.ncaa.org/news/2025/5/9/media-center-mens-basketball-rules-committee-proposes-changes-to-enhance-the-flow-of-the-game.aspx
Yes, having quarters instead of halves limits long bonus periods (nobody wants 10 minutes of free throws), but it would also kill the glorious chaos that is the one-and-one.
Picture this: it’s the NCAA tournament. A big underdog is down 1 with 40 seconds left. Player gets fouled. He has to hit the front end or lose the chance at a second shot. Tension! Drama! Pressure! We live for that.
Under quarters, it’s gone. Say goodbye to some of our most iconic tournament moments, which were created on the back of scud-missle free throws on the front end of a 1-and-1. Men’s college basketball is the last major level to use halves. Let’s keep it that way. Don’t let the suits kill off one of the game’s best quirks.
Other Basketball Rule Changes: Coaching Challenges + And-Ones For Days
While the quarter conspiracy is the primary headline on probable college basketball rule changes, there are other rule changes being discussed that are actually, you know, good.
The NCAA committee’s ‘s proposed rule changes can be found at: https://www.ncaa.org/news/2025/5/9/media-center-mens-basketball-rules-committee-proposes-changes-to-enhance-the-flow-of-the-game.aspx
Coaching Challenges for Out-of-Bounds Calls
- One challenge per game, with a second if the first is successful.
- No more two-minute monitor marathons unless a coach burns a challenge.
- Result: Fewer reviews, more actual basketball. Thumbs up.
Liberalizing Continuation
- This would let a player finish his move after contact without having to immediately shoot.
- Think: NBA-style “and-one” plays.
- Translation: More cool plays, fewer awkward stoppages.
Bottom line: Let’s get back to playing. Let coaches coach, let players hoop, and keep the refs from turning into CSI: Hardwood every end-of-game sequence.
JR Payne is Cooking in Transfer Portal
Women’s hoops? Oh, it’s heating up in Boulder.
CU has added 5 transfers and the list is very impressive.
Most recently, CU signed Rhode Island forward Anaelle Dutat, a native of Cesson, France. Dutat will have one year of eligibity at CU. The 6-0 forward averaged 8.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 33 starts last season for the Rams.
Dutat had four double-doubles last season, including a string of three straight to close the regular season. She snagged a career-high 17 rebounds against Saint John’s and moved into 10th all-time at RIU with 679 career boards. She’s the kind of player who will give you 8 points, 10 rebounds, and a floor burn per game. Her 36-minute rebounding rate? Filthy. She’s basically Dennis Rodman with a French accent.
Dutat joins fellow transfers Desiree Wooten, Claire O’Connor, Zyanna Walker, and Maeve McErlane.
Desiree Wooten, a 5’8″ guard from North Texas, was a 2nd team All-AAC player and a 1st Team All-AAC defensive team selection for the Mean Green. She averaged 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 33 starts last season for UNT. North Texas had a strong season last year, finishing 25-9 and 2nd in the AAC, ahead of teams like South Florida, Tulsa, Tulane, Rice, Memphis and Temple. Wooten has 2 years of eligibility at Colorado.
Wooten was 2nd on the team in scoring last year and recorded a team-high 58 steals (!) last year. She totaled 18 double-doubles last season.
Claire O’Connor is a knock down shooter that averaged 7.7 points per game for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who knocked CU out of the NIT tournament this past season. O’Connor shot 41% from 3 point range and started 29 or 31 games for Gonzaga last year. O’Connor has two years of eligibility at Colorado. Her shooting should help open up the court for other CU players.
Zyanna Walker is a ferocious defender (the only underclassman named to the Big 12 All-Defense team) and averaged 8.2 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 3.4 assists per game for Kansas State. She started every game of the season for Kansas State, which finished 28-8 and 4th in the Big 12. Kansas State made it to the Sweet 16 this past season, and Walker was a huge part of the team.
Walker has 2 years of eligibility at Colorado.
Maeve McErlane started 25 and played 31 games for the Blue Demons as a sophomore in 2023-24. She averaged 4.6 points, 2.9 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game. McErlane recorded a career-high 26 points against Alabama State and twice handed out a career-high nine assists. The 5-10 guard scored in double-figures on four occasions and handed out five or more assists in five games. As a freshman, McErlane appeared in 13 games, made one start, and was a Big East All-Academic Team selection. She’s totaled 157 points in 44 career contests and should provide depth and leadership for Colorado.
CU returns point guard Kennedy Sanders (5 ppg and 2.3 apg), and frontcourt players Jade Masogayo (12.5 ppg and 5 rpg), Tabitha Betson (5.4 ppg and 4 rpg), and JoJo Nworie (3 ppg) in the frontcourt.
Wooten and Walker as your backcourt? That’s Thieves’ Row. Add Dutat’s rebounding and Masogayo’s rim protection, and you’ve got a squad that can switch 1-5 and turn games into slogfests on the defensive end of the court. Expect a heavy emphasis on trapping zones and high-pressure doubles — strategies that Payne has long favored but finally has the personnel to unleash consistently.
And now, let’s get reckless with optimism.
This team has the ceiling of a **Sweet 16** squad — if they stay healthy and gel early. Their defense gives them a high floor, and their depth allows them to weather foul trouble or cold shooting nights.
Lock it in: Buffs will dance in March.
The CFP Is Turning Into a SEC/Big Ten Super Bowl
In 2026, college football’s playoff format will be decided by… the SEC and Big Ten. The Memorandum of Understanding that was agreed to last spring gives the SEC and Big 10 the authority to craft the playoff structure, but directs them to have “meaningful consultation” and collect “input” from the other conferences before making their decision. College-speak for “you can talk and we’re not listening.”
Here’s what they’re pushing:
- 16 teams
- Automatic bids: 4 SEC, 4 Big Ten, 2 ACC, 2 Big 12, 1 Group of 5, 1-3 at-large (one reserved for Notre Dame if ranked inside the top 14)
This model (4-4-2-2-1+1) is great if you’re Alabama or Michigan. Not so much if you’re not in the Big 10 or SEC.
There would be no byes in the proposed 16-team structure.
Many administrators in the Big 12 and ACC are not in support of a format with so many automatic qualifiers designated for the SEC and Big Ten, and many of them have, at least subtly, taken aim at the format over the last several months. Earlier this week, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told Yahoo Sports the ACC has not cemented a position on a format but “there needs to be fairness and access to the championship,” he said. “It needs to be a true championship, not artificial and not an invitational.”
Another important entity involved in the conversation is the company paying $1.3 billion annually to the CFP for the rights to broadcast the playoff from 2026-31. Though they have not publicly commented, ESPN executives have expressed to at least some college leaders apprehension about a format that provides such lopsided automatic access. The ESPN long-form television agreement — the six-year extension laid out in the memorandum of understanding — is not yet finalized, but is expected to be completed later this spring. If the field is expanded to 16, it will require negotiations from the leagues for more revenue. A 16-team bracket mean an additional four more games — eight first-round games instead of four. Hopefully ESPN understands that college football is better with more teams having access to the tournament and pushes back on the 8 automatic bids being discussed for the Big 10 / SEC.
The current college landscape is under historic levels of financial stress. Seismic changes within the industry — schools will soon be sharing millions directly with athletes — is leading to a continuous level of revenue-generating and power-grabbing maneuvers as conferences best position their schools in this new, more professionalized era.
The professional era is here. Let’s just hope the Buffs get a seat at the table, not just crumbs off it.
Final Thoughts:
I’ve heard from 2 separate sources that CU probably leads for top 5 player nationally WR Cederian Morgan. Most recruiting experts, however, think Alabama is the team to beat. We’ll see soon enough, as Morgan is committing later this month……
That’s a lot of candy. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/business/dum-dums-amazon-order-kentucky.html
ESPN to launch streaming service — when combined with Hulu+ and Disney, will cost $36/month. Bye bye, YouTube TV. https://www.wsj.com/business/media/espns-new-streaming-service-will-cost-29-99-a-month-935b82e2
For the Quentin Gibson piece that’s been getting a lot of positive feedback, check out: https://buffsblog.com/hello-maxpreps-national-player-of-the-year-quentin-gibson-welcome-to-the-black-and-gold/
Bookmark this post. Share it with your group chat. Argue with me in the comments. Just don’t go into the 2025 season without knowing what’s coming.
Sko Buffs.
Great stuff. Thanks.
Gavin Mueller looks like a dog.
One note: We were so damn close to a complete roster. No Taggert, some rumors of a grad transfer rb, but man CU we almost did it. #coachhartonthehotseat?
I do think that LB depth is still a real concern, even though I’m pretty high on Salter and French.
Awesome, and varied bundle of info! Especially liked the detailed update on the Lady Buffs success in the portal, videos of the newcomers, and your bullish outlook on their upcoming season. With one scholarship potentially remaining, another bigger power forward/center type player for depth would be nice to find. All these guards are going to be fighting it out for playing time, for sure. This looks like a potentially deep, and athletic team, that could be ruthless on defense. I like to go to a few of their games each season, and this looks like it will be a fun group to watch.
Thanks John. I’ll be curious to see if they use the last open scholly – I don’t think they will. I think they believe Jojo Nworie offers real high upside off the bench, as she’s another year past her knee injuries that have thus far derailed her career. She’s arguably the most talented post on the roster, but hasn’t been able to stay healthy.