BOULDER — When the Colorado coaching staff set about the task of improving its roster in the offseason, particular attention was paid to the Buffaloes’ defensive line.
The Buffs clearly needed some help up front after finishing 107th in the nation last year against the run (176 yards per game), 81st in tackles for loss (5.4 per game) and 53rd in sacks (27 for the season).
Safe to say, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ staff addressed those needs. CU added 14 new faces to the defensive line as well as three new coaches and grad assistants for the positions. Throw in a couple of solid producers from last season and Colorado’s defensive front might be the most-improved position group on the team.
“These guys are doing a great job of just focusing in on attention to detail, understanding what (defensive coordinator) Rob Livingston wants from us up front,” defensive ends coach Vincent Dancy said after Monday’s practice. “We all know it starts up front. And we just got to do a great job of understanding the weakness of the defense and understanding that we go as the defense goes. The new guys have come in and bought into the system, bought it to the roles, and all they’ve been doing is contributing to what we need up front.”The Buffs clearly needed some help up front after finishing 107th in the nation last year against the run (176 yards per game), 81st in tackles for loss (5.4 per game) and 53rd in sacks (27 for the season).
Dancy is one of the three changes made up front on the coaching staff this season. A defensive analyst last year, the former Mississippi Valley State head coach is joined by new interior line coach Damione Lewis and graduate assistant Warren Sapp.
Together, they give Colorado a wealth of NFL and coaching experience in the trenches.
The list of new faces is also impressive, beginning with transfers BJ Green (Arizona State), Dayon Hayes(Pittsburgh), Samuel Okunlola (Pitt), Taurean Carter (Arkansas), Tawfiq Thomas (Louisville), Anquin Barnes(Alabama) and Chidozie Nwankwo (Houston).
Meanwhile, CU also has some proven returnees up front, including Shane Cokes, Amari McNeill, Arden Walkerand Taje McCoy.
All told, they give the Buffaloes some much-needed depth — something that Dancy believes will be critical as CU hopes to utilize a regular rotation that will keep fresh legs in the game for all four quarters.
“I think we are three deep when it comes to the D-line,” Dancy said. “We don’t separate them anymore when it comes to D-ends and D-tackles. We are all one group. We rush as one and we play as one. But we’re deep up front and I think I could rotate three or four at a time and still be consistent.”
Green might be the most-publicized of the newcomers. After three stellar seasons at ASU that saw him rack up 107 career QB pressures, he was selected as a preseason All-Big 12 player and is expected to add some serious punch to CU’s pass rush and run defense.
Also bringing solid numbers with them are Pitt transfers Hayes and Okunlola and Nwankwo.
“(Green) is an alpha dog,” Dancy said. “He came to us as a great player and he’s continuing to be a great player. He’s continuing to show you guys the way he’s gotten there. Dayon, coming from Pitt, is a natural pass rusher, somebody who really can get after the passer. Every time we need a play he’s there to make that play. All of those guys, we’ve been working as one.”
With the defensive ends and tackles working together, it means all of the defensive linemen are getting the chance to have input from all three defensive line coaches. That means instruction from Sapp, a Hall of Famer, and Lewis, who played 10 years in the NFL.
“Just being in the role with those guys, that gives you chills just knowing what they’ve been through and the battles that they’ve won,” Dancy said. “Playing that amount of years in the NFL, I think it rubs off on our D-line. Like I say, man we go as one. Coach Sapp and Coach D-lew, the experience, the knowledge that they bring not only to me but the guys up front, that’s what you want. You know you want that experience to be able to relate to our guys because at the end of the day, we want our guys to go pro. We are training professionals, so they bring a lot of experience and we lean on that and we need that.”
Dancy is also impressed with Livingston, who is in the role of a defensive coordinator for the first time in his career after spending the last eight seasons working with the Cincinnati Bengals secondary.
“From day one, he knew what we needed,” Dancy said. “It’s very simple what he asked us to do. He’s been great. Not only does he lead, he lets us have input. He lets us be us. As long as we’re doing it into the confinement of the defense, he has no problem with us just being who we are.”
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Story by Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor for CUBuffs.com. Content courtesy of the University of Colorado at Boulder.