BOULDER – There are plenty of questions to be asked about the Colorado Buffaloes’ passing game.
The most common question is who will play quarterback, following three-year starter Steven Montez’s departure. The answer likely won’t be known for at least two weeks, when one of the three potential starters separates himself from the others.
But that isn’t the only question.
The Buffs’ also lost their top two receivers from last year, and they need to be replaced. Laviska Shenault Jr. and Tony Brown combined for 1,471 receiving yards, good for over half of passing game’s production.
So who will replace that production?
The Buffs have some options.
Sophomore Dimitri Stanley and senior K.D. Nixon are virtual locks to make the starting lineup, and junior Daniel Arias is listed as the final starter at receiver on the depth chart released Thursday.
Nixon seems to be impressed by Arias.
“That’s D.K. Metcalf Jr.,” Nixon told reporters Friday.
The comprarison to the Seahawks’ star is a lofty one, but there are some similarities. Both are 6-foot-4 receivers with blazing speed. Arias clocked in at 22.9 miles per hour this summer, which would have ranked second among the fastest ball-carriers in the NFL this season.
🏍💨💨💨 #physicallyCUltured #s2s
@_Flash_22 @BrendenRice @Dimitri_114 @17sackmangt @sam_noyer @tylytle5 @tlang_0 @WillSherman78 @FrankFillip @kingstafa_34 🖤💛 pic.twitter.com/Hm9MwdHP68— Drew Wilson (@CoachWilsonDrew) August 8, 2020
But it isn’t just Arias who could step up this year. Nixon said he’s been impressed by the young guns as well.
“Every year it is like a train, it’s a train,” Nixon said. “I feel like the freshmen are way ahead of where we were because they had more time to be engaged with Zoom calls.”
Nixon said that when he was a freshmen, much of the offseason learning was done without the help of others. Freshmen who could contribute this year–like Brenden Rice, Keith Miller and Montana Lemonious-Craig–have a leg up compared to other freshman classess, according to Nixon.
“The freshmen have been able to get mental reps, which is something that will pay off,” Nixon said. “I don’t know which freshmen will be ready to play first, but I just like to have them ready and prepared. That is something I really pride myself on this year.”
