BOULDER — The Buffaloes are better.
If Colorado’s annual media day provided any one overriding message, that proved to be the memorandum delivered by Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders.
The Buffs have better players, better coaches and perhaps most importantly, a better understanding of what Coach Prime and his staff expect.
One year ago, the nation wasn’t sure what to expect from Sanders’ first Colorado team. He had rebuilt the program virtually from the bottom up and college football observers were anxious to see the results.
The early returns were outstanding — three straight victories and a spot in the nation’s top 25.
But then injuries and a lack of depth took their toll. The Buffs struggled down the stretch and finished with a 4-8 record — still a vast improvement over the previous year’s 1-11 mark, but nowhere near Sanders’ high expectations.
Now, after another offseason of roster and coaching staff rebuilding, Sanders is confident that the Buffs are ready to take another big step as they move back to the Big 12.
“I feel so much better about the team, not only because of the young men that we’ve accumulated inside this locker room but also the staff, in how they’re working together,” Sanders said Friday (which also marked his 57th birthday). “The coordinators are phenomenal. The support staff is second to none. I think we all really have a cohesive bond that’s truly admirable.”
Sanders’ offseason improvements were once again significant, but in his second year, he could address specific needs.
— Coaching staff. Sanders has two new coordinators, defensive boss Robert Livingston and offensive play caller Pat Shurmur. Livingston, an eight-year NFL coaching veteran, has quickly earned high marks for his scheme and collaborative approach. Shurmur has bonded with quarterback Shedeur Sanders and has devised an attack that should best fit Sanders’ skill set — and keep him out of harm’s way as much as possible.
“The whole (defensive) staff is phenomenal and it all starts with Rob,” Sanders said. “Rob is doing a great job communicating and getting these guys on the same page and having input from everyone … I love what I’m seeing on the defensive side of the ball. I love the coordination of everything from Coach Livingston. I wish we could push fast forward, because I’m ready to get it going. I’m ready to play.”
Sanders made other coaching changes along with his coordinators. Damione Lewis now heads the defensive line, Vincent Dancy coaches defensive ends, Phil Loadholt heads the offensive line, Jason Phillips coaches wide receivers and Brett Bartolone has moved to tight ends.
— Offensive line. The Buffs were in desperate need of improvement up front after giving up 56 sacks last year, one of the highest totals in the nation. Sanders and his staff brought in a host of transfers and freshmen and this year’s group will consist of a new starting five.
— Defensive line. Another area in which the Buffs were in big need of an upgrade and another area in which CU accomplished that goal, mostly through the transfer portal. Two newcomers from Pitt, Samuel Okunlolaand Dayon Hayes, have caught Sanders’ eye in practice.
“These young men, probably six pass rushers there that’s going to get home to the quarterback,” Sanders said. “I’m talking about from the outside, but from the inside, these guys are handling their jobs. These guys are really taking care of their business.”
— Secondary. The Buffs had a solid core of returnees from last year here but still beefed up their coverage with the addition of some transfer cornerbacks, including DJ McKinney and Preston Hodge. With All-American Travis Hunter already in the fold in that group, the Buffs now have a cadre of defensive backs that can provide man-to-man coverage on a regular basis — and thus give the pass rush and run defense as many bodies as possible.
“I’m seeing pretty much four to five guys that can bump and run and cover all day,” Sanders said. “You don’t have to blitz, you don’t have to have exotic things on defense because these guys can get it done.”
— Offensive skill positions. The Buffs almost completely revamped their running backs room, with just one returnee from last season. Key additions there include Ohio State transfer Dallan Hayden and true freshman Micah Welch.
“Our running backs, I think we got four to five of them that can flat out go,” Sanders said. “You could use them any way you decide to, because all of them are pretty good out of the backfield, catching the ball. They definitely could run between tackles, outside of the tackles, but also they could pick up the blocks.”
Meanwhile, CU also beefed up a wide receivers group that already included key returnees Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr. with the addition of LaJohntay Wester and Will Sheppard.
But it wasn’t just the head coach voicing the level of improvement on CU’s squad this year. Buffs quarterback Sanders has also seen the rapid development on both sides of the ball — including the defense he sees on a daily basis in practice.
“We got better — way better,” Sanders said. “Defensive lineman and DBs, and practices are way more competitive than it was last year. And I’m just excited to go out there because I know I feel like the game will be easier than it is in practice.”
As for the new offense under Shurmur, Sanders said the transition has been a huge positive.
“Offensively I feel like we understand each other and he understands my playing style and is able to hear me,” Sanders said. “Every quarterback sees a game different. Every quarterback brings something different, special to the table. So you just have to make sure everybody is aligned in the same lens and we’re all looking through the same lens. Receivers, the o-linemen, the offensive coordinator, everybody has to be on the same page, and I feel like we have a stable ground to stand on right now.”
SPECIAL BIRTHDAY: As Coach Prime celebrated his 57th birthday, he also received news that he became a grandfather Friday when his daughter Deiondra gave birth to a baby boy after recently getting engaged to the baby’s father, R&B singer Jacquees.
“Do you understand how beautiful that is, how much of a blessing it is?” Coach Prime asked. “In the wonderful things of life that God has afforded us, that’s what I’m about. I’m about helping inspire, encourage, motivate, and just being a catalyst to the next person.”
OPEN PRACTICE: The Buffs will host an open practice next Friday in Denver at All City Stadium (1500 S. Franklin Street) beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Sanders said part of the thought process behind the Denver practice is to make sure his team doesn’t get bogged down in too much of a routine during fall camp.
“I don’t want to hit the low,” Sanders said. “I’m trying to prevent that. So the thing about when you practice in front of company, no one’s going to embarrass themselves. When you guys are out there, everybody’s going to go hard. We’re not going to show what we’re going to run in the first game (Aug. 29 vs. North Dakota State), but we just want to change it up. And also we want to give the wonderful fan base opportunities to touch the young men in this program and then see them first hand. We’re probably going to take pictures, maybe sign a few autographs with the fan base.”
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Story by Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor for CUBuffs.com. Content courtesy of the University of Colorado at Boulder.
