BOULDER — K.D. Nixon hit up a group chat with a few of his former teammates earlier this week.
“He’s feeling fresh,” cornerback Mekhi Blackmon told DNVR.
The wide receiver played four seasons in Boulder and racked up 104 catches worth 1,250 yards. Then, this off-season, he announced his decision to join USC as a grad transfer.
While his stats to this point are modest—two catches for 19 yards plus a few punt returns—there’s no doubt that this game has been circled on his calendar.
“We’ve been talking about this game since the day he transferred,” Blackmon said. “I’m really excited and so is he.”
Playing against former teammates is becoming more and more common in college football.
The NCAA introduced the Transfer Portal three years ago as a way to help student-athletes who are looking to transfer connect with coaches at other schools. The portal is basically a massive spreadsheet with contact information for every potential transfer that is only accessible to college coaches.
Then, last year, the NCAA announced that all student-athletes would be allowed to transfer to another school without having to sit out for a year. Previously, athletes in the sports that generate the most revenue were not allowed to play in games in their first year at a new school, which the NCAA called an “academic year in residence.”
Colorado head coach Karl Dorrell has expressed mixed emotions about the change. His strongest opinion is that student-athletes should not be able to transfer penalty-free to another school in the same conference.
Nixon is the first former-Buffalo to fall in that category but quarterback Sam Noyer will join him next month when Oregon State visits Boulder.
Dorrell said it won’t be weird when Nixon returns, in part because he’s spent so much time in the NFL.
“Not really,” Dorrell said. “Guys are going to get a chance to play for your own conference teams that you’re competing against is much like the professional level when guys sign with another team.”
Last season, Nixon was not only the leader of the wide receivers room, he was also one of the most vocal leaders on the entire roster. That was true despite the fact that he missed most of the season with an injury.
Montana Lemonious-Craig, who was a true freshman in the receivers room at the time, appreciated Nixon’s presence.
“He was like a big brother to me when he was here,” Lemonious-Craig said on Wednesday. “At the end of the day its’s competition. We love to compete and we’re gonna go out there and get the job done.”
Unlike Blackmon, Lemonious-Craig opted not to talk to Nixon this week.
“I won’t talk to him until after the game when we’re back to neutral because right now, at the end of the day, it’s enemies on the other side of the ball,” he said.
Wide receiver Dimitri Stanley told DNVR on Tuesday that he was planning to reach out before the game.
“Honestly, it’s all love,” Stanley said. “I’ll just wish him luck. We still talk on occasion. I’m wishing him the best and I know he’s gonna do great things over there.”
Despite playing the same position on the same team for three years, Stanley was caught off-guard by Nixon’s decision to transfer.
“That whole situation was kind of weird with the COVID season but he chose the path that he felt was better for him so I can’t fault him for it,” Stanley said.
This will be the first time Colorado has faced one of its former players since the new transfer rule went into effect.
Blackmon will be a major factor in determining whether the Buffs get the better of Nixon in his homecoming.
“I know the potential he has and he’s really an explosive player,” Blackmon said. “If he’s in the game, he’s someone we have to worry about.”
He won’t be worried about being friendly.
“Once we get into the white lines this is game time,” Blackmon said.
