The CU Buffs have a secret weapon for 2017

BOULDER – In 2016 when the Colorado Buffaloes were on offense you could look across the line and see Fields, MacIntyre, Ross and Bobo. Almost every play these four were set at wideout while Liufau and Lindsay manned the backfield.

All these weapons are back, the quarterback is not. But the Buffs have actually gained weapons.

Late last summer and early on into fall camp we had started to hear rumblings of Bryce Bobo’s job being in jeopardy. The reason, Juwann Winfree. The six-foot-three, 205-pound transfer wideout from Coffeyville College was turning heads all last summer.

He, unfortunately, went down with a torn ACL in camp and never made an impact on the team.

“Recovery process is coming along real well for me,” Winfree said. “I’m at six and a half months and I’m ahead of schedule… Player run practices, I’ll be 100.”

He is still recovering from that injury but all signs point to him putting heat on the top four wideouts for a spot on the field.

“That’s for sure,” Winfree said about him wanting Bobo’s spot. “Things happen but I’m going to work my to get to be better than where I was and I think it’s going to be a competition. But I’m going to do everything I can to make sure I get on the field.”

Last season Bobo earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors from the league coaches in a season where he caught 40 balls for 494 yards including two immaculate one-handed grabs. Bobo was the perfect sidekick to Shay Fields last year. But that’s not to say Shay might have a better one in Juwann.

After transferring from Maryland he had 55 receptions for 837 yards in his sophomore season. With two seasons of eligibility left he will make an impact no matter what for the Buffs at some point. The question is can he dethrone someone from their spot. And maybe a bigger question for CU is doing they want Bobo or another wideout, who all proved they can play last season, on the sidelines.

“The competition is crazy, but we have to embrace it,” Winfree noted. “We all want to be great so to have six receivers who are real quality division one players alongside you is good. It builds your confidence to know that if you go down the next person will step up. It makes you keep working.”

The Buffs are stacked on the outside it’ll be curious to see how they take advantage of the skill. If it means getting more guys on the field at once, which would take away Phil Lindsay touches (another issue), or using some sort of rotation. Whatever the Buffs do, they are keeping awful quiet Winfree despite how loud the rumblings are about him.