How Colorado football’s center competition benefits Julian Lewis for 2026

The Colorado football team has an intense position battle brewing.

Houston transfer Demetrius Hunter and Lafayette transfer Sean Kinney are competing for the Buffs‘ starting center spot. Whoever wins the job will be pivotal to the development of redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Lewis.

It won’t just be because the center and QB work in close tandem, but also because Hunter and Kinney are two of the most experienced players on the Colorado football team.

Hunter started all 24 games at center for Houston over the last two seasons, allowing just two sacks during that span. Kinney was also a two-year starter at Lafayette, playing snaps at center and both guard spots.

That duo has combined to start 43 games over the last two years and their experience is invaluable to a young QB who has yet to play 200 collegiate snaps.

“It’s vital to have a veteran center,” Colorado offensive line coach Gunnar White said Wednesday. “They’re the ones who control everything on the offensive line. He (Hunter) has done a really good job and I’m happy he’s here.”

When Hunter committed to the Colorado football team this offseason, it was assumed by many (including this writer) that he would assuredly be the Buffs’ starting center this fall. While that may still end up being the case, White and Colorado’s other offensive line coaches are adamant that no one has earned a starting spot yet.

That’s partly because the Colorado football staff is moving guys around to see how they look at other positions along the offensive line, and partly because Kinney is giving Hunter a serious challenge while adjusting to the FBS level.

“He (Kinney) has been steadily and growing everyday,” Colorado football coach Andre Gurode said. “He’s constantly asking questions to understand details. It’s going to be a great battle at the center position and we’ll see who takes that job.

“You need to like to fight; I want you to fight. I want you to hear the play, get everyone lined up, execute the play no matter what’s going on and use your rules to solve the problem.”

A veteran center can be an inexperienced QB’s best friend. Setting protections and identifying pressures will take some responsibilities off Lewis’ plate and allow him to play without thinking so much.

“It makes him (Lewis) feel a little more comfortable,” Gurode said of Hunter’s and Kinney’s experience. “It makes him feel better because those are guys you can get on and they have to get things straight. He feels comfortable because with he himself being a leader, he can talk to the guys and get the message across to everyone else.”

While the Buffs’ centers are making Lewis’ life easier, the Go-Go offense is doing the same for the Colorado football team’s offensive line. White says Brennan Marion’s scheme makes it “super easy” on his guys up front thanks to hundreds of one-word plays.

Not only should the QB be able to think less and play quicker, so should the offensive line. It’s no wonder why Marion’s offenses have averaged 34.8 points per game over the last three seasons.

“The thing that Brennan (Marion) does a really good job of is keeping it simple,” Colorado football coach George Hegamin said Wednesday. “Keeping it simple so guys can execute. There’s a bunch of thinking involved in it but these are the types of things you think of in meetings, not at the snap. That’s the biggest thing: it keeps it very simple for the guys up front.

“They understand who to get, how to get them and they do it very aggressively. That’s what you want.”

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