Buffs Camp Notes: KD Nixon shares what he learned from Phil Lindsay

Day 2 of Buffs Camp is in the books.

BSN Denver was in Boulder to talk with the players and coaches to hear what went down.

This is what we learned:

K.D. Nixon is more focused

K.D. Nixon is more focused on his body going into his junior season. That might not have happened without a little help from Pro Bowl Denver Broncos running back, and former Buff, Phil Lindsay.

“So, if you ask Phil, he always saw me in the indoor (training facility), and I always saw him in the training room,” Nixon said. “Phil used to laugh. He’d be like ‘Bro, why you working so hard?’ I told him, ‘I’m trying to be like you. I’m trying to go to the NFL.’

“Crazy thing is, I see why he was in the training room more than the indoor (training facility) Now, I’m spending more time in the training room.”

Nixon says he’s spending three hours per day in the training room getting stretched out and rehabbing with the strength staff. Over the course of a season, that’s a lot of extra time spent on football, but Nixon has found a way to fit it into his routine.

“Now, right after this, I’m about to go to treatment, THEN go to eat,” Nixon said.

The added work has paid off. This year, for the first time ever, Nixon passed his conditioning test. And the decision to improve his body wasn’t the most difficult one he’s made this summer.

“I made a decision: Leave girls alone,” Nixon said. “I think that’s a big, big upgrade in maturity. That’s me being able to say, ‘just focus on football.'”

As Nixon works on the field in fall camp, he’s seeing the benefits of the decisions he’s made over the past few months. But he’s still left with one question.

“As you become a junior, you see what you need to do,” Nixon said. “You just be like ‘Damn, what if I did this last year?'”

Tony Brown was the first name mentioned

Head coach Mel Tucker has opened his post-practice press conferences by giving general comments, then shouting out some of the top performers in that day’s practice.

Today, senior wide receiver Tony Brown was the first name mentioned.

“He and Steven (Montez) have a very good chemistry,” Tucker said. “He showed up in some intermediate routes and also in the deep routes.”

That’s not a long quote, but there’s plenty to read into.

First of all, Brown is competing for the third wide receiver job with a host of other Buffs, like freshman Dimitri Stanley and sophomore Jaylon Jackson. At the very least, it sounds as though Brown is near the top of the list.

It’s also interesting that Tucker mentioned Brown’s effectiveness in running intermediate routes. The lack of intermediate routes last season has been a big storyline and hearing Brown had chemistry with the quarterback in those situations is promising.

Young guys step up

After talking about Brown’s impressive showing, Tucker moved on to speak about some younger contributors.

“I think we have a really good mixture of older guys, veteran guys who have been there and done that,” Tucker said. “Then we have some younger guys who are starting to figure it out and are starting to emerge.

Freshman running back Jaren Mangham, who could be the starting tailback in Boulder, was the next name mentioned by Tucker. The coach said Mangham improved how he finished runs on the second day of camp.

“He’s a big back, he’s a powerful guy,” Tucker said. “He’s got good eyes, good feet. Just learning how to finish and push through, we talked about that. He made a conscious effort today to do that.”

Next up was freshman defensive tackle Na’im Rodman.

“He’s a heavy-handed young man with a good balance and body control,” Tucker said. “He’s been well-coached and gives good effort and is in really good shape.”

Tucker wants a group approach to running backs

Mel Tucker reiterated Friday that he plans to have multiple running backs rotating into the offense. He isn’t expecting one back to take over a full-time job.

“We have a very solid group of guys, and we’d like to have a stable,” Tucker said.

There are quite a few guys who could see playing time in the Buffs backfield, but the most hyped options are Mangham and sophomore Alex Fontenot. Tucker says it’s still to early to know who will be included in the rotation.

“It’s a talented group,” Tucker said. “We’ll know a lot more once we put the pads on.”

Montez is locked in

Seniro quarterback Steven Montez say not much has changed in the level of focus he commits to football. But his outlook seems to have matured, at least a little.

“When I first came in, it was all about having fun and having a good time and loving the sport,” Montez said. “The more I’ve been here, the more I’ve learned it’s about business. It’s about winning games. That’s definitely what the next level is about, it’s purely about business.”

“I think I’ve always been focused. I liked to have fun while I was doing it, but this is just ‘keep your mouth shut, think about the plays, think about what you’re doing.'”

The Buffs are hyped about Juwann Winfree

Former Buff wide receiver Juwann Winfree caught the go-ahead touchdown in the Denver Broncos’ 14-10 Hall of Fame Game win over the Atlanta Falcons Thursday night.

Was K.D. Nixon watching?

“Oh yes sir,” Nixon said. “Shoutout to Juwann. Game-winning touchdown.”

Steven Montez saw it as well.

“That was nice,” Montez said. “Big 1-5. I’m happy he’s doing good man. I love that dude. He’s a great man. He’s a great football player. I’m glad he’s having success in the NFL.”