Good morning. I’m introducing a new series intended to take a look at each team in the new Big 12. I’m not sure how many I’ll get done each week, but the only way for me to really know about these teams is to actually do the research so I can be relatively informed when the season hits. So I spent time doing the research this weekend. There are links to everything below so if there isn’t a link, then I didn’t write it, but I always link back to the originator of the content. I wanted to take a quick look at the team: get a feel for the best players; look into their portal class consisted and how they ranked overall; a look at the 2024 recruiting class; and ending on the graphic from Sharp College Football.
Thank you all yesterday (and every day) for the tremendous support. It is greatly appreciated.
Previous Snapshots: Arizona | Arizona State | Baylor | BYU | Cincinnati
Snapshot: Man, I don’t know. Deion Sanders made a splash the first game out of the chute, then struggled mightily for the rest of the season including losing 6 straight to end the season. Then, in an offseason where things were, questionable at best, Colorado is heading into the season with a high number of transfers and a quarterback in Shedeur Sanders who is thought to be one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. Sanders completed 69% of his passes for 7.5 yards per attempt with 27 touchdowns and 3 picks so he’s got the stats to back it up. He is very good, but he’s also throwing to Travis Hunter as well who I think is a star (see below). That’s really pretty good, but the offensive line allowed 56 sacks which is an insane amount and he was running for his life a good chunk of the time. For me, the star of the Buffaloes is Travis Hunter, the cornerback and receiver and after watching him play, I’m not sure if he’s a better receiver or cornerback. Just immensely talented. There are serious concerns on defense, particularly the rushing defense. Turnover in roster makes Colorado difficult to predict and knowing who will start and who will even be on the roster in August is also difficult. And if you have ever wondered why I pull quotes from these different sources, it’s because it is a full time job trying to track who is in and who is out, who is a good player and who is bad, etc. There’s no way that a normal person can keep track of all that’s happening with each team across the college football landscape.
Do the Buffaloes play Texas Tech? Yes, Texas Tech hosts Colorado on November 9th.
Returning Starters: Offensive returning starters – 5 (69% of offensive production); Defensive returning starters – 7 (76% of defensive production).
Transfer Portal Arrivals: 39. Where to start. The big areas where they recruited were 4 wide receivers, 10 offensive linemen, 9 offensive linemen, 4 linebackers and 6 defensive backs. I don’t know if there’s any continuity, but this is basically an entire team with the offensive and defensive lines getting the most transfers.
QB Destin Wade (from Kentucky)
QB Walter Taylor (from Vanderbilt)
RB Dallan Hayden (from Ohio State)
RB Rashad Amos (from Miami, Ohio)
WR Terrell Timmons (from NC State)
WR Will Sheppard (from Vanderbilt)
WR LaJohntay Wester (from Florida Atlantic)
WR Cordale Russell (from TCU)
TE Sam Hart (from Ohio State)
TE Charlie Williams (from UNLV)
OL Tyler Johnson (from Houston)
OL Yakiri Walker (from UConn)
OL Ethan Boyd (from Michigan State)
OL Wyatt Hummel (from Villanova)
OL Zechariah Owens (from Clemson)
OL Phillip Houston (from FIU)
OL Amari Ward (from Jackson State)
OL Justin Mayers (from UTEP)
OL Payton Kirkland (from Texas)
OL Kahlil Benson (from Indiana)
DL Quency Wiggins (from LSU)
DL Dayon Hayes (from Pitt)
DL Rayyan Buell (from Ohio)
DL Tawfiq Thomas (from Louisville)
DL B.J. Green II (from Arizona State)
DL Chidozie Nwankwo (from Houston)
DL Samuel Okunlola (from Pitt)
DL Taurean Carter (from Arkansas)
DL Anquin Barnes (from Alabama)
LB Keaten Wade (from Kentucky)
LB Nikhai Hill-Green (from Charlotte)
LB Jaylen Wester (from Florida Atlantic)
LB Nikhil Webb Walker (from New Mexico State)
DB Preston Hodge (from Liberty)
DB RJ Johnson (from Arkansas)
DB Herman Smith III (from Idaho State)
DB Colton Hood (from Auburn)
DB Ivan Yates (from Furman)
DB D.J. McKinney (from Oklahoma State)
On3 Transfer Index Score: +68 (Big 12 high is +68 with Colorado and low is -30 with Houston)
Key additions: Nikhai Hill-Green, LB (Charlotte); Dayon Hayes, EDGE (Pittsburgh); Rashad Amos, RB (Miami-Ohio); Dallan Hayden, RB (Ohio State); Ethan Boyd, OT (Michigan State); Zach Owens, IOL (Clemson); Payton Kirkland, OT (Texas); Colton Hood, CB, Auburn; Rayyan Buell, DL (Charlotte)
Key subtractions: Cormani McClain, CB (Uncommitted); Omarion Cooper, CB (Florida State); Dylan Edwards, RB (Kansas State); Alton McCaskill, RB (Uncommitted); Jack Bailey, IOL (Northwestern); Savion Washington, OT (Syracuse)
Outlook: Another year, another offseason overhaul for Deion Sanders.
On one hand, Colorado continued to beef up its offensive line with solid additions in Boyd, Owens and Kirkland. Meanwhile, Hill-Green is a high-IQ defender who can start right away at linebacker, and Hayes should be a nice rotational piece at the edge rusher position.
Still, it’s hard to ignore all the players heading in the opposite direction. Colorado lost a pair of talented cornerbacks with starting experience in McClain and Cooper. It also lost its leading rusher in Edwards as well as another other promising back in McCaskill.
Colorado’s spring class is polarizing, as some rank the Buffaloes as clear winners while others tab them as one of the biggest losers of the window. In reality, they are probably somewhere in between.
Pac 12 2024 Recruiting & Big 12 2024 Recruiting: Colorado might have gotten a grade of F if not for some really talented players in its class led by five-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, the only player of that ranking in the entire conference. There are three four-stars in the group as well but the Buffaloes signed just eight prospects total, the smallest group in the entire Power Five.
This is a case study of Colorado again using the transfer portal to fix the roster but this is a grade for the high school class and it’s lacking.
Grade: D
Sharp College Football Beta Rank Deep Dive: I thought that Colorado would be better offensively, but when you have a trash offensive line, see the effective rush, then things fall apart quickly no matter how good the quarterback is. Or how good he thinks he is. The passing game was good, no doubt, largely because they were a relatively explosive offense. Defensively, pretty mid overall, terrible against the run and better against the pass, their only saving grace. Having guys in the trenches is something that you typically have to build towards, not something that you just plunk out of the portal.
