I’ve been wanting to get a football update out after a couple of weeks of spring practice, but information is thin on the ground this year. There’s a tight lid on information out of the Champions Center, and most CU-centric journalists are wary of disclosing something publicly that risks the ire of Deion Sanders. One source of information is the “CU Sponsored State Media,” ie Well-Off Media, Reach the People Media and Uncle Neely. Note, however, that these resources are only going to provide information that the program wants out there. Still, they can be good sources of information. Most of the information here is gleamed from coaches’ pressers, the CU Sponsored State Media, and the sources that I have within the walls of the Champions Center that I can convince to talk to me. But hey — it’s football!
Note on insider info: It’s our policy to leave information collected by the pay sites behind the paywall; you can get a lot more from subscribing to them than I’m going to have in these roundups, and I recommend them all. If you’re a fan, subscribe to 247 or rivals or the insider message board on Allbuffs. The exceptions are bits where I’ve heard something similar.
Offense in general
What we want to hear: The offense is going to be much more balanced and the OL is fixed —- the run game is back, baby! JuJu and Salter are both locked in and, while we’re going to have a drop in QB play without Shedeur, we’re still going to have one of the best QB rooms in the Big 12. The WRs will be equally as dynamic as last year’s WRs.
What we’re hearing: The OL is still a work in progress. Establishing the run game has been a priority this spring. From a schematic standpoint, the offense is going to run more 2-back sets and “classic” RPO to help unleash the running game. The 2nd RB in the 2-back formation will often be Drelon Miller. The TE room? Still needs CPR.
Deion Sanders and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur went into this offseason trying to address physicality—run the ball and be tougher than the other guy. Did you see Deion Sanders undress the offensive line after offensive lineman Tyler Brown was punched by linebacker Martavius French in last week’s scrimmage? That kind of toughness has been the central focus of the spring.
Adding toughness is why guys like George Hegamin and Andre Gurode were brought in to help Gunnar White coach up the line, and why adding a veteran like Marshall Faulk was more than just a recruiting flex. If CU is going to be successful offensively this season, they’re going to need to be run the ball successfully and be more balanced. The success, or failure, of the offense will hinge on the offensive line.
What it means: Without generational players at QB and WR, the efficacy of CU’s offense will come down to the offensive line. There are real concerns about the offensive line’s ability to establish the run game. CU doesn’t need to have an offense as explosive as last season’s offense given the strength of the defense — but the offense will need to figure out how to consistently move the football.
Quarterback
What we want to hear: JuJu Lewis is The Guy and, although he’ll probably be splitting time with Kaidon Salter, he will be the best true freshman QB at Colorado since Darian Hagan. Kaidon Salter is going to reignite the talk from 2 years ago that Salter is a DeShaun Watson-clone and could be a high NFL draft pick.
What we’re hearing: Salter is probably QB1 right now, particularly with his ability to break the pocket, scramble out of trouble, and find running lanes. JuJu Lewis is competing hard and will play – he will not redshirt. The battle is helping both improve.
Kaidon Salter has better mobility. In last week’s scrimmage, there were 3 or 4 plays where the offensive line couldn’t block the defense and Salter would take off down the field on a QB scramble. Salter’s running ability gives the offense a different look than last year’s offense where, under pressure, Shedeur Sanders would float backwards to wait to see if a WR could break open at the last moment. While Sanders’ approach led to a lot of big plays in the passing game, it also led to a lot of sacks. I expect fewer big plays in the passing game this season but a lot of 10+ yard QB scrambles. Given CU’s offensive line issues, having a mobile QB may be a necessity.
It’s also clear that JuJu Lewis has the cleaner throwing motion. He looks like a natural QB, someone that has been meticulously coached and drilled. Still, he has too many freshman moments and has thrown several ill-timed picks. In fairness to JuJu, however, both he and Salter are throwing too many picks this spring.
Salter’s experience makes him hard to bench. But make no mistake — JuJu is the future. The program knows it, and they’re making space for it. Expect both to play, but Salter likely gets the first snap.
What it means: If you put yourself in Deion Sanders’ shoes, you’ll see that the answer to “who’s most likely to start against Georgia Tech on August 29th” isn’t very difficult. I believe the answer will be Kaidon Salter. Colorado has to walk a fine line with Salter. They want him to believe that he’s going to be the day 1 starter in part because the alternative could lead to Salter transferring during the spring transfer portal. This would leave CU precariously thin at the QB position and without any players that have started meaningful snaps at the collegiate level (although Ryan Staub did play fairly well against Utah in the final game of the season two years ago). Salter has one year of eligibility left, and he believes he needs to play a lot, and play well, to be drafted into the NFL.
Please don’t take this as an indication that Salter doesn’t deserve to start. I think he probably deserves to start against Georgia Tech, largely because Salter’s scrambling gives the Buffs an outlet against the pass rush that will give defenses a hard time. Still, JuJu Lewis looks good, particularly when you remember that he’s 17 years old. He’s the future. He’s shown nothing this spring that makes anyone question that fact. Within the walls of the Champions Center, there is zero concern about saving JuJu Lewis’ redshirt year — the chances of JuJu being in Boulder for 5 years is nil as he’ll be in the NFL before then.
Wide receiver
What we want to hear: This year’s receiver room will be as good as last year’s receiver room (which had 4 players that will be on NFL rosters this upcoming fall).
What we’re hearing: This year’s receiver room is arguably as good as last year’s receiver room (!)
Joseph Williams, the transfer from Tulsa, is probaby the team’s most consistent WR at this point. Coaches have known that he was great at jump balls, and he’s proven that in practice this spring. The fade pass to Williams will be a regular play on the call sheet this upcoming season. Interestingly, one source told me that CU coaches believe he’s much more explosive than they thought when they were recruiting him out of the portal.
Drelon Miller is the only non-senior WR that participated in Shedeur Sanders’ workout at CU’s Pro Day (other participating WRs were Travis Hunter, Will Sheppard, Jimmy Horn Jr. and LaJohntay Wester). He was selected to participate by Shedeuer Sanders, which shows that Sanders thinks very highly of Miller. Miller was one of the team’s top WRs by the end of last season and finished the season with 277 yards receiving and 3 TDs. Colorado WR coach Jason Phillips told the assembled media yesterday that Miller’s participation in the Pro Day “wasn’t cool at all…He was in the backfield and I don’t want to lose him early to the pros or the backfield. It wasn’t cool from that standpoint.” Expect Miller to be dynamite and even play some RB this fall.
Omarrion Miller has returned from a “lower leg injury” (which we’ve heard may have been a broken ankle) this spring and picked up right where he left off. He’s doing backflips in practice and looks 100%. He has the potential to be a 1st or 2nd day NFL draft pick in 2026.
Other WRs include Kam Mikell, the highly rated 4-star WR that didn’t play last year due to injury, North Carolina State transfer Terrell Timmons, and Isiah Hardge, the slot WR who is now focusing exlcusively at WR. Add in the 3 freshman WRs (including Quentin Gibson, the MaxPreps national player of the year and Quanell Farrakhan Jr., who has been very impressive thus far), and you see that this is a deep, deep room. CU may not be done adding WRs to the roster, either — CU is heavily recruiting Campbell WR Sincere Brown. The 6’5″ WR would give the offense a different look with his size, and he’s a real deep threat. [In fact, he ran a 4.38 40 at South Florida and was faster than his teammate Jimmy Horn Jr.]. I’m calling my shot right now — Brown will be a first or second day NFL draft pick in a year. Hopefully he does it as a former Buff.
Quanell “X” Farrakhan Jr. has been impressive in early practices.
What it means: CU’s WR room is spicy. If Colorado gets competent quarterbacking, the WRs will make plays. This position is the strength of the offense — and it’s possible that this WR room is better than last year’s WR room.
Offensive line
What we want to hear: The line is gelling. We’ve got a solid five, and depth is forming. We’ll be able to play MANBALL and actually, you know, run the ball.
What we’re hearing: We’re still short a couple of difference-making linemen. We’re not running the ball well enough or protecting the QB well enough to have sustained success moving the football. Now, this may be a case of good news/bad news — the defensive line is SALTY (like one of the best defensive line units in the country salty) — but we still need to get better up front.
The projected starting line right now looks like:
RT: Manu Taimani
RG: Zy Crisler
C: Cash Cleveland or Yahya Attia
LG: Kareem Harden
LT: Jordan Seaton
A note on projected starters: CU is running many different line combinations this spring and the term “projected starters” is subejct to change daily. This is my best guess based on what I’ve read and heard from several sources, but take the term with a grain of salt.
Right tackle is a concern. Philip Houston is still out with an injury, and he was grading out as one of CU’s top offensive lineman by the end of last season. His health is important to the success of this unit.
Manu Taimani has been getting most of the 1st team snaps at RT. Taimani is a 6’4”, 345 pound lineman that has primarily played on special teams for his career. Taimani has spent playing time at every position on the offensive line except for center, so he will provide depth for the Buffs up front. He has played only 43 snaps over the last 3 seasons at Ole Miss, however, so any production from Taimani will be positive for Colorado. Shurmur notes that Taimani is very mature for a college football player as he is married and has a family — noting that Taimani reminds CU’s younger lineman to “always eat their breakfast.” He will provide nice senior leadership, but there are questions about his ability on the field.
There has been positive buzz about right guard Zy Crisler—Shurmur called him everything they want in a guy and noted that he’s extremely strong. Crisler is a 6’6”, 336-pound guard from Illinois. Crisler started 6 games at right guard in 2024 for Illinois before being replaced by Brandon Henderson mid-season. The previous 2 seasons, however, Crisler was named honorable mention All Big-10. Crisler has an extra year of eligibility due to the Diego Pavia junior college ruling and decided to spend it at Colorado. It’s important to note that Crisler’s PFF scores have not been strong over the last 3 years (he’s had overall grades of 50.1, 57.3 and 52.4, which would put him slightly below Tyler Brown’s grade, for example).
One surprise has been Yahya Attia playing some center. Attia, one of the only college football players in NCAA history born in Egypt, is still raw. However, he has great size at 340 pounds and has a nasty disposition, as seen in 1-on-1 drills. He gives CU a very physical player at center. The battle beween him, Cash Cleveland, and Louisian Tech transfer Zarian McGill will be an intersting one to follow. McGill actually ran with the 1s yesterday at right guard, and he can play any interior line position.
At left guard, Kareem Harden will be a good player. Harden noticeably improved over the course of last season, and his PFF scores reflect this development. Harden’s first couple performances were not strong. However, he came on strongly at the end of the season and posted pass blocking scores of 87.6 (at Kansas), 68.7 (against Oklahoma State) and 90.5 (vs. BYU) over the last 3 games of the year. If he can continue this progress, he’ll be a starter next season and a rock on the offensive line.
It is important to note, however, that 6’6″ 365 pound giant Zach Owens started the first scrimmage at left guard. I’ve been told that Harden is probably the odds-on-favorite to start at left guard, but Owens is starting to emerge. If Owens knocks Harden out of the starting lineup, he would be the largest offensive lineman in CU history to start a game. In Well Off videos, Owens makes the other offensive linemen look (almost) small. It’s a great sign that the light has turned on for the Clemson transfer.
Left tackle Jordan Seaton is a dude.
At left tackle, Jordan Seaton has looked fantastic. Coaches don’t say much about left tackle because they don’t need to — Seaton gives CU an elite offensive lineman.
For more on CU’s offensive line, check out our earlier blogpost:
What it means: Watching practice video, it’s clear that the QBs have been jittery in the pocket due to breakdowns along the offensive line, and this often lead to broken plays. Further, CU has also been unable to consistently run the ball in practice. The offensive line unit is a work in progress and the team could use an elite RT in the spring transfer portal. We still need dudes here. We’ve recruited some dudes (Carde Smith and Chauncey Gooden), but it’s almost impossible for true freshmen to crack the lineup at offensive line. It’s interesting that both Smith and Gooden are already running with the 2s, however.
Tight ends
What we want to hear: We finally have a difference-making tight end in Northwest Missouri State transfer Zach Atkins!
What we’re hearing: Zach Atkins has been wearing a “no contact” jersey for much of this spring and therefore hasn’t been able to practice regularly. Savell Smalls will likely reprise his role as a glorified 6th offensive lineman that sometimes struggles to lock onto a defender in the run game. There’s been little buzz about former Ohio State tight end Sam Hart and true freshman Corbin Leisure.
What it means: Unless Zach Atkins gets healthy in a hurry and up-to-speed with Big 12 caliber opposition, this could be another difficult season at tight end. There may be some light at the end of the tunnel, though — yesterday in practice, Atkins ripped off a 50+ yard catch. Pat Shurmur knows that improvement is needed in ths room — he told the media, “…we were in 10 personnel a lot because we didn’t really have the [tight end] room we needed. Going out to get Zach Atkins hopefully gives us the flexibility to be more 11 and 12 personnel.”
Let’s hope so.
Running back
Isaiah Augustave and Micah Welch are playing this spring under new coach Marshall Faulk.
[Editor’s note: After publishing this blog post, it was announced that Isaiah Augustave has entered the transfer portal. This may necessitate the addition of another running back in the transfer portal this spring.]
What we want to hear: We’re cooking with grease. The room is deeper and more explosive.
What we’re hearing: Dallan Hayden and Micah Welch look good. They’ll both play a lot — they’re both rotating in with the 1s, but this group as a whole is ready.
Isaiah Augustave has great speed — he’s probably the fastest running back on the roster — and good size. I’ve heard rumblings about his status but I hope he’s locked in as he can be a difference maker for the team this fall.
Depth will be provided by Brandon Hood, who has been getting more playing time than many might expect, and Charlie Offerdahl.
Oh, and one more thing — we’re hearing Drelon Miller has been working more and more at running back. This makes sense since (a) he can run, and (b) we’re seeing more 2-back formations this spring. Having Miller in the backfield gives Colorado a dynamic receiver out of the backfield — I’ve heard that he should get 2-3 screen passes a game as a way to alleviate some pressure on the offensive line.
With Marshall Faulk coaching, expect a serious uptick in running back production. Marshall Faulk isn’t just bringing juice—he’s bringing a standard. And the players have resonded — Hayden has responded with steady, physical play, Augustave is getting “next level” buzz, and Welch is a trimmed-down bowling ball. They’re all going to play, and the staff is committed to establishing the run this fall. Gunnar White summed it up in his initial presser: “We have to run the ball – that’s non-negotiable.”
OK, offensive line — it’s up to you.
What it means: The running back room is good enough to make plays if there’s room for plays to be made.
The offense’s success, or failure, of the running game will come down to the offensive line. The skill position players on offense and the defense on this team are good enough to challenge for a Big 12 title. Hopefully the offensive line is good enough to help make that happen.
Fantastic insight. Thanks!
Thanks Erich!
Coach Prime has realized that it’s difficult to build skill offensive and defensive lines in the transfer portal, so we’re going to see more and more high school recruiting focusing on those positions. Prime will always be able to attract skill positions and defensive backs out of the portal. Carde Smith and Chauncey Gooden will both be starting by the end of the year.
Good news on this front is I think Johnnie Jones, 4-star OT out of Florida, is a silent commit. Also, OT Deacon Schmitt out of Windsor (who Matt McChesney says is the best HS offensive lineman that he’s ever coached or worked with) just had a great visit.
Awesome stuff but I think we need better RBs. I can’t deal with more Offerdahl and Augustave leaving hurts. Hayden is decent and Welch is decent but we need more back there.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we find a RB in the portal. Names to watch include A’Morion Peterson out of USC and Anthony Carrie out of Georgia Tech.
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