Football is finally back in Boulder. Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders has once again rebuilt Colorado’s roster over the offseason and the 2024 Buffs took the field for the first time on Monday for the start of Fall Camp. Comparing Colorado’s roster this year to last year isn’t even close, the Buffs are better and more talented across the board this season. More than halfway through week one of camp, early storylines have emerged as the Buffs embark on their quest to compete for the Big 12 Championship.
Trevor Woods makes his mark
After being asked to move to linebacker in the middle of the season last year, Trevor Woods is finding his footing playing in the middle of Coach Prime’s defense this summer. Woods had two interceptions for the first-team defense on Monday and added a pick-six on Thursday. Woods’ instincts and mind for the game make him one of the smartest players on the team. He spent the offseason transforming his body to better suit his new position.
“I’m way bigger, I’m way stronger right now,” said Woods. “I was 198 in my first game at backer, I was 217 this morning. I feel a lot more comfortable [playing linebacker].”
Coach Prime compared Woods to Brian Urlacher, another safety turned linebacker, at Big 12 Media Day in early July. Now nearly up to that 220-pound threshold for linebackers, Woods’ job should be much easier with Colorado’s increase in talent and size along the defensive line.
“We’ve got some bigger guys up front,” said Woods. “We got some good push [on Monday] but we’ve got to get the pads on.”
Colorado’s first fully padded practice of camp was on Thursday and Woods had the play of the day with his pick-six. Despite the criticism from the outside, Woods has solidified himself as one of the leaders on Colorado’s defense and is inching closer to locking down one of Colorado’s two starting linebacker spots.
CU’s defense jumps out to an early lead
Going back to spring football, Colorado’s first-team defense has continued to impress and neutralize Colorado’s second-team offense. The CU defense struggled with depth, tackling inconsistencies and penalties as the 2023 progressed but the feeling coming out of the Champions Center is that the Buffs’ defense will be greatly improved in 2024.
All three levels of Colorado’s defense have added depth via the transfer portal and could result in as many as eight new starters for Week 1 this year. When addressing the media on Wednesday, Colorado defensive coordinator Robert Livingston raved about the depth and talent of CU’s secondary.
“I think we’re deep,” said Livingston. “I think there are guys here that are backups that could be starters at other places and I think there’s great leadership.”
Newcomers D.J. McKinney and Preston Hodge took the podium together on Wednesday also and bluntly stated their expectations for themselves and the Buffs’ secondary when asked what fans should expect out of them in 2024.
“Be the best secondary in the nation,” said Hodge and McKinney.
We have yet to hear from Colorado defensive line coach Damione Lewis or defensive ends coach Vincent Dancy but reports coming out of practice are that the Buffs defensive linemen are much stronger, deeper and capable of creating chaos in the backfield this season.
The Buffs WR corps is legit
While Colorado’s defense has been the story over the first four days of camp, Shedeur Sanders and Colorado’s first-team offense continue to move the ball with ease and rip off chunks of yardage. For the second season in a row, Colorado’s wide receivers are creating highlight reel-level catches and plays daily.
Transfer portal additions LaJohntay Wester and Will Sheppard have performed as advertised and have shown instant chemistry with Shedeur. Sheppard missed spring practice as he was graduating from Vanderbilt but has fit right in and asserted himself as a go-to target for Shedeur with his 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame. Wester and Sheppard are primed to greatly improve their NFL Draft stock this season playing with the best quarterback in college football.
Incoming 2024 high school recruits Kam Mikell and Drelon Miller have created some buzz for themselves as well. Mikell could have settled in at nearly any position on the field with his speed and athleticism but will begin his college career as a receiver for the Buffs. Miller had the play of Day 3 showing off his ability to track and play the deep ball along the sideline for a massive gain. Both freshman receivers have a long way to go in their development but have shown playmaking flashes that could result in playing time this fall.
Former TCU Horned Frog Cordale Russell has been unable to participate in the early days of camp due to sickness but has been in attendance at practice.
Travis Hunter has been Travis Hunter and the sense is that Jimmy Horn Jr. and Omarion Miller have begun to take their game to the next level in their second year playing under the Flatirons. Perhaps Colorado’s strongest position group, CU’s wide receivers have lived up to the hype so far and are well on track to be one of, if not the best wide receiving corps in college football.
