What to watch for during Colorado’s Spring Showcase

BOULDER — The end of spring is upon us.

Over the past five weeks, the Colorado Buffaloes have held 14 practices leading up to Saturday morning’s spring game. The goal was to develop the depth at the back end of the roster while teaching some tweaks of the offensive and defensive schemes to the team’s veterans.

By all accounts, CU was successful.

Head coach Karl Dorrell complained of one sloppy practice with low energy on the third Monday of camp but was largely happy with the rest of the spring.

Not everything has been easy, though.

The Buffs have seen several players miss time because of COVID-19 infection, contact tracing or other injuries unrelated to the pandemic. At one point, Colorado was down to nine active offensive linemen. Freshman Gerod Christian-Lichtenhan, who is 6-foot-10, played full-time left tackle until enough linemen were available to fill an entire second-unit. Shortly after, the defensive line was down to 3-5 active players.

Don’t expect Colorado to be at full strength on Friday.

For the most part, Colorado’s spring has been a positive one, at least according to the coaches and players who spoke to the media. None of the injuries sustained during camp have been portrayed as serious.

Here’s what to watch for in Friday’s 15th and final practice of the spring:

The quarterbacks

This is the story of the offseason.

Sam Noyer enters the new cycle as the incumbent starting quarterback, but Dorrell has been adamant that every position is up for grabs, including the most important one.

Unfortunately, Noyer is still recovering from surgery to fix a torn labrum and he was scheduled to begin light throwing in early May, at least as of a few weeks ago. He’ll be sidelined on Friday.

With Noyer out of the mix, J.T. Shrout and Brendon Lewis have received more reps during the spring, and they should both be on display this Friday.

Shrout is a Tennessee transfer with three years of eligibility remaining. He appeared in a few games for the Volunteers, completing 37 of 69 passes for 494 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.

So far during camp, coaches have praised Shrout’s ability to pick up on the new offense. He’s accurate, has a strong arm and he’s mobile enough to leave the pocket and find a receiver downfield.

Lewis, on the other hand, is a run-first quarterback, who has the tools to develop into a good passer. He didn’t see the field in his true freshman season until the Alamo Bowl, which was already out of hand before he took the field. Lewis broke off a 44-yard run, while also making a couple of nice passes. Dorrell said earlier in camp the Lewis looks like a completely different player so far this spring. In a good way.

True freshman Drew Carter is worth keeping an eye on, as well.

Ashaad Clayton

Ashaad Clayton was a highly-regarded running back out of Louisiana, but he didn’t see the field often in his true freshman season.

Clayton finished 2020 with seven carries for 31 yards and two touchdowns. Most of his work came in short-yardage situations.

Clayton’s biggest strength out of high school was his physicality and ability to maintain his balance through contact. He should be able to run over tacklers at the next level and if his speed, burst and wiggle translate to college ball, there’s no ceiling for the talented, second-year true freshman.

Coaches have reported that Clayton is playing much faster this time around because of his knowledge of the offense. He’s making quick reads and hitting the hole hard, which has resulted in him becoming one of the most improved players in camp, according to the coaches.

Alex Fontenot is back on the practice field after missing 2020 with a torn ACL. Fontenot figured to be the starter last year for the second-consecutive season, but Jarek Broussard shined in his absence. With Clayton potentially ready to go and more young backs waiting in the wings, there’s no telling what this running back rotation will look like in 2021.

Robert Barnes

Robert Barnes transferred from Oklahoma this offseason. He was a top recruit out of high school and he’s spent time playing both safety and linebacker.

So far, Barnes has played the linebacker position at CU and he figures to be the perfect partner for star linebacker Nate Landman. While Landman is known for his abilities playing the run and blitzing, Barnes should provide some coverage ability from the inside. Early reports from camp indicated that he was doing exactly that.

But Barnes isn’t locked in to the other starting inside linebacker job. Jon Van Diest has plenty of experience as a run-stuffer next to Landman and has improved in coverage, according to Dorrell.

Young guys like Quinn Perry, Marvin Ham and others will factor into the conversation.

Jack Lamb, a grad transfer from Notre Dame will arrive on campus this summer, providing even more competition.

The outside linebackers

Carson Wells is a bonafide star.

On top of leading the nation in tackles for loss per game in 2020, he was also sixth in sacks. The outside linebacker became a key voice in the Buffs’ locker room and one of the team’s most valuable players.

Three players rotated through the other outside linebacker position, sharing the reps close to evenly: Guy Thomas, Jamar Montgomery and Joshka Gustav.

Thomas started for CU for most of the season. He missed one game with an injury and Montgomery started in front of him in Thomas’ first game back.

Gustav, a redshirt freshman, saw his usage remain at a similar level throughout the season, while serving as the team’s primary pass-rusher across from Wells. Gustav has been one of the stars of camp this spring, with outside linebackers coach Brian Michalowski going so far as to compare his playing style to that of Joey Bosa.

Colorado will be happy to rotate players and use them to their strengths at this position in 2021, but the starting job and the bulk of the reps are very much up for grabs.

Wells played in 10 games in 2019 and only sacked the quarterback once. One year later, he’s one of the nation’s elite pass rushers. Montgomery, Thomas or Gustav could be the next to make a leap.

Keep an eye on Devin Grant, too. Though he probably won’t see the field much this season, the former inside linebacker has garnered rave reviews for his downhill style and aggression.

Bonus: Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan

He’s 6-foot-10.

Colorado’s Spring Showcase will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks at 9 a.m. Friday.