[Editor’s note: Commander Ace Hunter (who some of you would know if we used his real name) has been cajoled into writing a weekly report for BuffsBlog detailing his personal observations from practice and general thoughts on CU athletics. This is as inside as you can get, folks — really — so buckle up.]
“In football, there are no winners or losers – only the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
The Good
Kaidon Salter
While the Commander might not be completely sold on Salter yet, there’s no denying he looks really comfortable in this offense. The kid does not lack confidence and this week you can see that confidence seeping into his teammates. Shurmur has built this offense around his strengths, and it shows. I still don’t trust his long ball, but he’s great at making tight throws in the 5-20 yard range and the threat of him tucking it and taking off when nothing’s open is scary. He did this 4-5 times in 11on11s and the defensive coaches were visibly frustrated. Where Salter goes, so does the entire team. He is the number one factor in the team’s success this year and it is not even close.
Honorable Mention
-11 and 12 personnel. Lions and Tigers and Tight Ends. Oh my!
The Bad – “Not bad meaning bad, but bad meaning good.”
Slot WRs
Drelon Miller and Isaiah Hardge might be our two best weapons outside of Salter this year. Both run great routes and are good at finding windows in coverage. All the hype goes to Miller, but Hardge is an absolute dawg and dare I say it, has a bit of Travis Hunter to his game. He just seems to be in the right place at the right time and always makes plays. The Commander has anointed him Bruce Lee Roy, because the kid has “The Glow.” Defensive Coordinators will be game planning around the Millers this year and that will allow Hardge to create some magic.
Honorable Mention:
· Chauncey Gooden. While still raw, Gooden is amazing to watch. His footwork and technique need work, but he is literally so big, defenders struggle to get around/through him. It’s hilarious to watch the frustration he ignites among the DLine.
The Ugly – “You ain’t got no alibi.”
Offensive Line
Coach Prime mentioned he believes we had 8-9 players that could be starters and that may be true, but to the Commander there seems to be a significant drop after the top 7. Kareem Harden is certainly starter worthy and Chauncy Gooden could be in the mix as well, but after that things get a bit muddy. Cooper Lovelace is working at Center with the 2s but looks a bit weak at times to be anchoring the interior. Tyler Brown looks comfortable at Left Guard, but I cannot understand why a guy that is so strong gets zero push. None. Nada. Yaya Attia is getting reps at both Guard spots which makes it seem that Lovelace is going to be backup Center or the Guard play in the second unit isn’t consistent enough for the staff’s liking. Odds are it’s the latter. The others getting reps with the 2s are Carde Smith and Andre Roye, both of whom need to hit the weight room and training table bigtime.
Let us all light a candle for the health of the starting five.
Honorable Mention:
·Cops at college football practices. No matter the reason.
·My wicked sunburn
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Welcome Commander Ace Hunter. It’s going to be a game to see if we can figure out who you are.
Interesting takes on depth on o-line given what Coach Prime said last week about depth. But then what is he going to say, that we only have 5 or 6 guys and we’re f*cked if they get hurt?
It’s always great to have more insiders. Excited to see what’s next for BuffsBlog.
1. This confirms my concerns about some of the OL.
2. What don’t you like about Salter’s deep passes? Accuracy? Arm strength?
His passes over 25 yards float a bit. He has good touch, but flings rather than fires if that makes sense.
Salter the man that carries the team…it’s something I’m noticed in EA Sports College Football 26. Love that zone read with Salter and I do believe Coach Prime when he says the offense is going to be different this year. I think that is a hint that Salter will be QB1 this season.
No mention of the RBs? Haven’t heard much about Taylor and Price.
I’m not the Commander, but I’ll chime in — Taylor will play. Good speed, similar to how CU used Edwards in 2023. Not sure about Price getting a lot of PT, at least early, but he’s flashed some, too.
Taylor is a firecracker that will used similarly to Dylan Edwards except for the running between the tackles bulljunk. Price’s game has a lot of similarities to Hayden and Welch so I’m not sure how/where he fits.