Coach Prime has dramatically rebuilt the Colorado Buffaloes’ roster over the past several months since joining the program, making it hard to keep track of who’s on the roster and what state the roster is in.
Fret no longer, as you now have a guide to take you through the CU Buffs football roster as it presently exists.
Which positions stand out as positions of strength, and which require more reinforcements before the season kicks off against TCU? Let’s look.
* denotes projected starter
Colorado Buffaloes offense
Quarterbacks: Shedeur Sanders*; Ryan Staub; Colton Allen; Kasen Weisman; Gavin Kuld.
One of the few positions left untouched for the Colorado Buffaloes since the spring game, has been quarterback, where the outlook is already pretty promising.
Sanders projects to be the best slinger of the football to ever don the black and gold, plus he has the mobility to make him a legitimate dual-threat quarterback.
The depth of the position — or lack thereof — is a concern though.
Staub had some nice showings during spring camp and was serviceable in the spring scrimmage, but it’s clear the drop-off at the position after Sanders is a steep one.
Kuld is an interesting prospect, but the fact he’s struggled to find a steady role with a bevy of high school and JuCo programs makes it hard to imagine he’ll finally catch on with the Buffs.
Running Backs: Alton McCaskill IV*; Kavosiey Smoke; Dylan Edwards; Anthony Hankerson; Sy’veon Wilkerson; Champion Johnson; Charlie Offerdahl; Dante Capolungo.
From now until September, everyone will obsess over the Colorado Buffaloes’ passing attack, featuring a brilliantly aggressive coordinator at the helm, an NFL-worthy quarterback under center, and a bevy of pass-catching talent. That’s understandable, but don’t sleep on what projects to be a devastating ground game, thanks to the summer addition of McCaskill.
Prior to that signing, the Buffs were already set to have a solid backfield, with the rotation of Smoke, Edwards and Hankerson, yet it still stuck out as one of the roster’s weak points, as it was devoid of the star-level talent Coach Prime has been able to add at seemingly every other position.
But now, with McCaskill in the fold, those players are able to fill into more natural rotational roles.
McCaskill dominated during his first season at Houston, gaining more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage and scoring 18 touchdowns, on his way to being named the conference’s freshman of the year. He should immediately become the workhorse back and receive the lion’s share of the snaps, thanks to his ability to affect all aspects of the game, while the other three can support him where necessary.
Hankerson had a solid 2022 campaign, was the staff’s lead back throughout the spring, and, like McCaskill, he can impact every down of the game. Dylan Edwards, the highest-rated freshman recruit in this year’s class, brings the home-run speed that no other back on this roster really has, and Kavosiey Smoke, a transfer from the SEC, brings a level of power and physicality that no one else in the room can quite match.
Also, don’t forget about Charlie Offerdahl.
Offerdahl was one of the social media darlings from spring ball and earned plenty of praise from Coach Prime for his outstanding work ethic and determined running style.
Tight Ends: Louis Passarello*; Erik Olsen; Caleb Fauria; Brady Kopetz; Elijah Yelverton.
Another position the Colorado Buffaloes have yet to address since the spring game is tight end, where they’re now relying almost entirely on players from the Karl Dorrell era, since losing Seydou Traore back to the portal.
Their one remaining offseason addition has been Elijah Yelverton, a tight end from the University of Iowa who failed to ever see much playing time and decided to look elsewhere.
As it stands now, this might be the biggest need on CU’s roster.
Wide Receivers: Jimmy Horn Jr.*; Travis Hunter*; Xavier Weaver*; Kaleb Mathis; Jaylen Ellis; Tar’Varish Dawson; Willie Gaines; Jack Rilling; Javon Antonio; Cole Boscia; Chernet Estes; Isaiah Hardge; Michael Harrison; Adam Hopkins; Omarion Miller; Jordan Onovughe; Jacob Page; Assad Waseem.
The Colorado Buffaloes have one of the 15 or so best wide receiver rooms in the nation.
Montana Lemonious-Craig and Jordyn Tyson were the best players on the team a season ago, and Lemonious-Craig was the star of the spring game, and yet still, they had to transfer out because they recognized their playing time was in jeopardy. Tyson is headed to Arizona State, where he’ll almost certainly start, and Lemonious-Craig is also almost certain to start for a respected Power-5 program.
That in and of itself should be enough to demonstrate just how dramatically Coach Prime has overhauled and upgraded the Buffs’ receiver talent.
Right now, it feels safe to pencil Horn Jr. and Weaver into starting spots, but with Ellis, Antonio, Dawson, Gaines, and Rilling already joining since the spring game, it feels like everything is up for grabs.
Offensive Linemen: Landon Bebee; Tyler Brown; Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan; Camden Dempsey; Carter Edwards; Isaiah Jatta; Ben Reznik; Jack Seavall; Van Wells; Jack Wilty; Savion Washington; Hank Zilinskas; Jack Bailey; David Conner; Kareem Harden; Reggie Young II.
The Colorado Buffaloes’ offensive line took a nice step forward in 2022, after a grisly 2021 campaign, but they still had a long way to go before they’d even be considered an average Power 5 offensive line.
Prime might’ve bridged that gap in a single offseason, by adding 11 new faces to the offensive line group. Only Christian-Lichtenhan, Dempsey, Reznik, Seavall, and Wells were on the line a season ago, and as a result, every starting job and every important depth spot is up for grabs.
Coach Prime has managed to recruit a lot of lauded and experienced offensive linemen to Boulder, from all over the country, which should help insulate the Buffaloes from injury and
Colorado Buffaloes defense
Defensive Linemen: Jordan Domineck; Shane Cokes; Taijh Alston; Leonard Payne Jr.; Taje McCoy; Bishop Thomas; Amari McNeil; Chazz Wallace; Derrick McLendon; Deeve Harris; Sav’ell Smalls; Khairi Manns
One could argue no unit has gotten more of a facelift under Coach Prime than the defensive line, and that’s because no one needed it quite like the defensive line did.
For starters, the Colorado Buffaloes’ defensive front was the worst in all of Division-1 football a season ago, and on top of that, by the end of the post-spring-game exodus, not a single member from the 2022 defensive front remained on the roster.
Coach Prime tore it down to the studs and rebuilt the room from nothing, making it practically impossible to project the starters.
With that in mind, the group looks pretty impressive at first glance.
Domineck was Colorado’s best edge rusher during spring ball, and quickly earned his number as a result, and he’ll now be getting some help on the opposite side, with Florida State’s McClendon and former Washington five-star Sav’ell Smalls transferring in. Plus, Devee Harris, Khairi Manns and Taje McCoy, among others, should give the Buffaloes a terrific rotation that keeps everyone fresh.
Cokes has been the early star for the Buffaloes on the interior, and adding Tennessee’s Amari McNeil and Florida State scout team standout Bishop Thomas to the mix should make his life considerably easier.
And on top of all that, Coach Prime has now filled out the room with some solid depth options to support those massive (both figuratively and literally) transfer signings.
Linebackers: Marvin Ham II*; LaVonta Bentley*; Isaac Hurtado; Eoghan Kerry; Jack Remington; Victory Johnson; Morgan Pearson; Caiden Robertson; Kofi Taylor-Barrocks; Jeremiah Brown; Joshka Gustav; Brendan Gant; Demouy Kennedy.
Don’t sleep on the Colorado Buffaloes’ linebackers.
Ham was the most impressive Dorrell-era carryover throughout spring ball, and LaVonta Bentley immediately began making massive contributions to the team’s defense, both on the field and in terms of leadership. Meanwhile, Hurtado stood out enough to earn his number along with those two. Brown, who followed Prime from Jackson State, has also performed well and made the biggest special teams play of the spring game.
Plus, transfer additions Brendan Gant (FSU) and Demouy Kennedy (Alabama) are exceptional athletes that should add some rare coverage skills to the room once they’re able to step onto the field.
The rest of the room projects as likely depth pieces and special teams contributors.
Cornerbacks: Travis Hunter*; Kyndrich Breedlove*; Cormani McClain; Jahquez Robinson; Omarion Cooper; Liam McGannon; Braden Keith; Carter Stoutmire.
The Colorado Buffaloes can comfortably go five deep at cornerback this season with some very exciting talent lining the position group.
Travis Hunter projects to one day be in the top-10 pick conversation at cornerback, with a supernatural feel for the position and otherworldly athleticism. Hunter has the skillset to be a legit lockdown corner and a player who can change the math for CU’s defense.
Kyndrich Breedlove, the Ole Miss transfer, started opposite Hunter throughout the spring and was also impressive. That said, he’ll have plenty of competition for that starting job this summer, as standout recruit Cormani McClain, Alabama transfer Jahquez Robinson, and former Seminole Omarion Cooper are all on the way.
No matter who ends up starting, the Buffs should be fairly well-protected from injury, considering their depth.
That said, after that aforementioned top five, there is a sheer drop-off to the next option.
A wave of injuries at cornerback would be particularly devastating to the Colorado Buffaloes.
Safeties: Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig*; Trevor Woods*; Myles Slusher*; Vito Tisdale; Rodrick Ward; Travis Jay; Shilo Sanders; Austin Dahlke; Ben Finneseth; Jaden Milliner-Jones; Trey Ortega.
Arguably the most crowded and the most underrated position group on the Colorado Buffaloes’ roster is the safety room, so it’s wise that defensive coordinator Charles Kelly appears likely to lean into a lot of three-safety looks.
Silmon-Craig is a ‘Coach Prime guy’ from Jackson State, who became one of the very first players to earn his jersey number in Boulder. Trevor Woods also impressed during spring camp and became the first non-Prime addition to earn his number. With that in mind, it makes sense they remain the projected starters, but at a point, the incoming talent might just be too overwhelming.
Shilo Sanders, Rodrick Ward and Travis Jay are talented safeties in their own right. Plus, Ward is in his final year of eligibility and had finally carved out a nice role for himself at Southern Utah, so it’s unlikely he’s transferring into Boulder with the thought of spending his last season of college football on the bench. Meanwhile, despite being Coach Prime’s son, and being an experienced and productive safety throughout his collegiate career, it’s not hard to imagine a reality where Sanders is buried on the depth chart.
That’s a testament to the talent in the room.
Even Myles Slusher, an addition from Arkansas, who was excellent in that ‘third safety’/nickelback spot throughout the spring, will face considerable competition, as Coach Prime brought in another position-flexible, do-it-all, SEC defensive back in Vito Tisdale.
With such exciting cornerback and safety groups, the Colorado Buffaloes should be one of the nation’s stickiest teams in pass coverage.
CU Buffs specialists
Kickers: Jace Feely*; Alejandro Mata; Cristiano Palazzo.
Punter: Mark Vassett*; Trent Carrizosa.
Long snappers: Jacob Politte; Cameron Warchuck.
The intrigue here lies at kicker, as it’s practically impossible to determine who has the edge in the long snapper competition, and it would be a sizable surprise if Vassett didn’t become the team’s primary punter option.
Palazzo is the distant longshot, but Feely and Mata seem locked in a head-to-head race. Feely undeniably has the superior range, but during media observation windows, Mata was slightly more accurate.