DEALING WITH ROSTER MATH: WHO’S UP NEXT?

I became a corporate lawyer in part because I didn’t want to have to do “the maths.”  When I was unsuccessful with actual maths avoidance, I needed to sprinkle in something more interesting  — so I would sprinkle in sports.  At CU, I took a maths class called QRMS and my final project involved calculating the percentage likelihood that Dennis Rodman was going to dye his hair blue for the Chicago Bulls game against the Denver Nuggets in 4 weeks’ time. [Notice the correct use of the apostrophe in ‘weeks’ — I do know a good apostrophe but not the maths!] At Michigan Law School, I took an accounting class in the business school and my final project was determining how the Colorado Rockies could claim to be losing money despite having a low payroll and constantly filling Coors Field with <duped> fans.  Mixing math with sports is the only way that I can, you know, actually do the maths.  

So calculating the size and makeup of CU’s football roster has a special place in my heart.

The Rule

Under the new House vs. NCAA settlement, which should be signed this summer, teams can have up to 105 players on the roster.  These 105 players can all be on scholarship or all be walk-ons.  The NCAA only cares that a team’s roster doesn’t exceed 105 players.  

In the past, FBS teams could have up to 85 scholarship players and up to 120 players overall.  

As a result of the House settlement, an FBS team that is “fully funded” from a scholarship standpoint will have 105 scholarship players. 

The CU Roster Situation As Of Today

CU had 95 players on its Spring Game Roster.  [Note that the CU Spring Game Roster is a bit different than the Spring Roster on the CU website because the Spring Game Roster omitted several players that had transferred earlier in the portal, including Adrian Wilson, Taje McCoy, Savion Riley and Isaiah Augustave]. 

 Of the 95 players on the Spring Game Roster, about 23 are walk-ons.  Thus, CU had about 72 scholarship players as of the Spring Game.

Since the Spring Game, CU has lost 8 scholarship transfers (Colton Hood, Jaylen Wester, Malakai Murphy, Ben Bouzi, Kyeran Garcia, Brandon Hood, Jay Gardenhire, and Zack Owens) while gaining 7 scholarship transfers (Terrance Love, Keon Parks, Sincere Brown, Xavier Hill, DeKalon Taylor, Larry Johnson and Hykeem Williams).  By my back of the envelope math(s), CU has 71 scholarship football players as of today.

THEREFORE — to be fully funded from a scholarship standpoint, CU needs to add 34 more scholarship football players to the roster from now until the start of the season to get up to 105 players. Now, do I think CU should add this many players to the roster in the next couple of months?  Probably not.  But does CU need to be at or near the previous 85 scholarship limit to have the depth to be competitive with teams in the Power 4 conferences?  Absolutely.

My message to fans that complain about adding talented players that haven’t had much production at the collegiate ranks yet is to relax.  CU needs more talented players on its roster, period.  CU needs depth.  If that means the Buffs takes a couple of “fliers” on players with potential but less productivity, then do it.  

So who are the newest additions to the Colorado roster?  Let’s dive in on the 7 incoming scholarship transfers.

RB DeKalon Taylor

Who is the fastest player on CU’s roster?  Taylor, a 5’9” 166 pound scatback, immediately enters the conversation.  While running track for Longview High School in Tyler, Texas, Taylor finished 3^rd in Texas Class 5A Championships with a 10.40 wind-aided 100 meters. He was lightly recruited out of high school and committed to FCS power Incarnate Word.  He played sparingly his first 2 seasons, but last year he rushed for 909 yards and 9 touchdowns.  Incarnate Word finished the season 11-3 overall and lost to South Dakota State in the FCS semifinals.  

Taylor provides versatility as a kick and punt returner, as well.  He returned 19 punts for 286 yards with 1 TD last season.  Taylor was a 2x all-conference kick returner, and a 1^st eam All-Conference running back during his time at Incarnate Word.  

Taylor was a below-average receiver out of the backfield and a below-average pass blocker (his PFF pass blocking score was 51) last season.  Still, he provides home run speed in a position room that can use more depth.  As transfer, he ranked the #59 RB in the transfer portal.   Taylor has 2 years of eligibiity with the Buffs.

Bottom line:  A home run threat but probably not a 3-down player.  Will need to improve pass blocking skills to play meaningful minutes at RB.  Still, will help the team from a special teams standpoint and, did I mention, we need more scholarship players?

Hykeem Williams

When talking about Hykeem Williams, people usually begin with his high school accolades.  Not us. We don’t care as much about that as we do his production at Florida State.

During his tenure at Florida State, Williams recorded 21 receptions for 267 yards and 2 TDs.  Last year, his sophomore year, Williams had 8 starts and tallied 16 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown — despite being hampered by a hamstring injury all season.  Williams has often dealt with injuries during his tenure with the Seminoles.   If Williams can stay healthy — which is a real IF at this point — he can be a real difference maker on the CU roster.  One source at FSU told me that Williams, when fully healthy, is a “physcial freak.” The fact that he started 8 games for a FSU team that does have WR talent is a good sign. Williams’ PFF score last year was 67.2 overall, good for 8^th among all offensive players at FSU.

Williams, like LB Kylan Salter, is on the “first guy off the bus” team.  Williams is shaped like a linebacker at 6’3” and 215 pounds, and he runs a 4.4 40-yard dash. Williams also has good hands (in 29 targets at Florida State, Williams only had 1 drop.) 

As a transfer, Williams was ranked the #29 WR and the #159 player overall.  He committed to CU over offers from several Power 4 schools, including Miami and Pittsburgh.  

Ah yes, his high school accolades. Williams was ranked a 5-star WR and among the top 25 players nationally coming out of high school.

Bottom line:  Adding Williams gives Colorado an experienced player on the outside that is as physically talented as anyone in the Big 12.  I expect that Williams, while not a starter, will get meaningful minutes at the X this upcoming season.  

Larry Johnson III

Larry Johnson III is a 6’7” 348 pound tackle transfer from the University of Tennessee.  He adds yet another 340+ pound offensive lineman to the team.

Johson has two years of eligibility remaining to compete with the Buffaloes.

Johnson was the #8 ranked junior college offensive tackle nationally in 2023 when he signed with Tennessee. He went on to play in eight games offensively, and saw action in seven others on special teams, with the Volunteers.

Johnson had a PFF score of 57 last year, which is below average.  His 2023 PFF score was 45.8 (woof) in limited action.  He appears to be a better pass blocker than run blocker.  Johnson’s best game may have come against Oklahoma last year, where he did not allow any QB pressures in 41 snaps at left tackle, earning him the highest game-grade among the Vols’ offensive lineman from PFF.  

Johnson was likely to be the backup right tackle at Tennessee this upcoming season.  Johnson’s transfer likely clears the way for 5-star freshman David Sanders to start at right tackle for Tennessee.  Sanders, like Jordan Seaton the previous year, was ranked the number 1 tackle coming out of high school in 2025.   Still, my souce at Tennessee told me that Johnson would probably play material minutes this upcoming fall as a backup swing tackle.

Bottom line:  CU needs more tackle depth.  It’s premature to view Johnson as the likely starter at right tackle, but he will compete for playing time with Philip Houston and Mana Taimani (and Xavier Hill if he stays at tackle).  And did I mention we need more scholarship players?

John Slaughter

Slaughter is a 6’2” 195-pound safety that spent two seasons with Tennessee as a backup safety and special teams contributor. He also has a fantastic name for a defensive player.

Slaughter played in 23 games during his two years on Rocky Top. He tallied six tackles and one interception for the Vols in 2024 with 56 defensive snaps on the field. Slaughter’s output earned him a 66.5 season grade from Pro Football Focus, which is above average.

The 6-foot-2 safety originally committed to Tennessee out of Southaven High School in Southaven, Mississippi. Slaughter was a three-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class and was an early enrollee before Tennessee’s trip to Miami for the Orange Bowl in December 2022.

Slaughter has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Bottom line: Slaughter should provide depth at safety and should be a key special teams’ contributor. CU appears set at safety with Carter Soutmire and Tawfiq Byard as starters, but depth is an issue and Slaughter helps in that regard. I expect he will get time, particularly in nickel and dime sets. And did I mention that CU needs more scholarship football players?

Xavier Hill

The 6’4″ 318-pound Hill was named 1st team All-AAC by Phil Steele (the man, the myth and the legend) and 2nd team All-AAC by the conference’s coaches.  According to most observers, he was the best player on Memphis’ team last season and he projects as a right tackle that can slide to guard if needed.  Hill was a semi-finalist for the Outland Trophy.

Hill’s Pro Football Focus score last season was an 84. Two points of reference:  (a) Travis Hunter’s PFF score (on offense) was 86 last year; and (b) CU’s highest ranked offensive lineman (Justin Mayers) was 70.4 last year.  Hill is an elite pass blocker and a very good run blocker.  Quite simply, Hill gives CU an All Big 12-level offensive lineman. 

Bottom line: Hill will walk onto the starting offensive line at CU. He gives CU, along with Jordan Seaton and Zarian McGill, 3 lynchpin players for the offensive line. And did I mention that CU needs more scholarship football players?

Terrance Love

Terrance Love was a 4-star player coming out of high school and was ranked among the top 300 players in the country. He committed to Auburn over offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame and more. Love spent 2 seasons at Auburn but didn’t crack the lineup outside of special teams, and only had 8 tackles in his career.

While Love was ranked the #1 safety in the transfer portal, it’s hard to project him into a meaningful role this upcoming season given his lack of previous playing time at safety. However, he is a great athlete and has tremendous size for the position. In fact, Love is as big as most of Colorado’s linebackers at 6’2″ 220 pounds. It wouldn’t surprise if he battles Slaughter (great name again!) for playing time as a hybrid safety/linebacker in nickle and dime sets. 

Bottom line: Starters at safety are probably set with Carter Soutmire and Tawfiq Byard (who looked fantastic in the spring game). Love will provide depth along with TJ Branch (who had an interception in the Spring Game) and Slaughter. And did I mention that CU needs more scholarship football players?

Teon Parks

Cornerback Teon Parks is a tranfser from Illinois State that graded out as Illinois State’s top defender in 2024 according to Pro Football Focus. The 6’1″ 180-pound Park allowed just 37.8% of the passes thrown his way to be completed (!) over 729 defensive snaps. He led the Missouri Valley Conference with 11 pass breakups.

Parks was an all-state track star in high school at Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Detroit. He committed to CU over an offer from Mississippi State, and adds much needed depth to the talented (but thin) cornerback room. Parks will play a lot this fall, particularly with the depature of Colton Hood. In fact, I think Parks may start in some nickle packages along with fellow cornerbacks DJ McKinney and Preston Hodges.

Bottom line: Parks can play. And he better be able to play, because he’s going to play a lot this fall. While he may not technically be a starter, he’ll be on the field for the majority of defensive snaps this upcoming season. And did I mention that CU needs more scholarship football players?

Sincere Brown

The 6’5” Campbell Fighting Camel WR transfer Sincere Brown committed to Colorado 2 weeks ago and, sincerely, I couldn’t be more excited.  Brown committed to CU over offers from Texas A&M, Michigan, and North Carolina.  His highlight tape shows his speed and explosiveness, particulalry for his height. Brown runs a 4.30 second 40-yard dash and his per catch average of 16.9 yards would have ranked 1st in the Big 12 last season (!)

Brown originally signed with USF out of high school, where he was teammets with Xavier Weaver and Jimmy Horn Jr. (small world!). Horn Jr. has said that Brown is faster than Horn Jr.

Sincere Brown’s PFF score last season was 77.2, nearly 10 points higher than any other Campbell football player that played meaningful snaps for the team.

Bottom line: Brown is a big play waiting to happen and adds more talent to a loaded WR room. I’ve already called my shot with Brown – I think he’ll be playing in the NFL next year. And did I mention that CU needs more scholarship football players?