Colorado Golden Buffaloes 2024 Football Preview

Since both schools left the Big XII conference, Colorado is 3-0 against Nebraska, with all three games being ones where the Huskers had more than their share of opportunities to win those games. In 2018, it was a controversial tackle by Jacob Callier that knocked Adrian Martinez out of the game late. In 2019, the Huskers blew a 17-0 lead in the fourth quarter. And last year, Jeff Sims turned the ball over four times with inexplicable decisions to throw the ball directly to Colorado defensive backs, compounded by the inability to field a snap or hand off the ball cleanly.

Colorado escaped nearly two decades of football futility with the splash hire of NFL legend Deion Sanders last season. The Buffaloes seized on the wave of interest in the program by finally getting Coloradans to buy tickets and show up, breaking out to a 3-0 undefeated start in non-conference play. Despite going 1-8 in their final Pac-12 season, Sanders’ Colorado team was competitive in all but two games…something that really couldn’t have been said for many, many years outside of CU’s 2016 Alamo Bowl season.

Perhaps the biggest reason why Colorado became much more competitive was senior quarterback Shedeur Sanders (6’2” 215 lbs.). Any doubts that Shedeur was playing because of his father should have been discarded once the games started to play. He showed incredible accuracy in his passing, completing 69% of his passes for a school-record 3,230 yards with 27 touchdowns. Perhaps the most amazing statistic was that Sanders only threw three interceptions the entire season. The fourth-team All-Pac 12 quarterback honoree should be a highly coveted NFL prospect next spring. Redshirt freshman Ryan Staub (6’1” 200 lbs.) filled in for a banged-up Sanders in the final game, completing 57% of his passes and throwing for a touchdown.

The biggest reason why Colorado didn’t win more games last season was the woeful offensive line, which was pretty much neglected during Deion Sanders complete roster overhaul…and it showed, giving up a school record 56 sacks. Shedeur Sanders was a magician at times, trying to escape the total lack of pass protection last season; with any other quarterback, Colorado might have allowed 80 or even 100 sacks last season. Coach Prime is flipping the offensive line in 2024, bringing in right guard Justin Mayers (6’3” 320 lbs.), a two year starter at UTEP, right tackle Kahlil Benson (6’6” 312 lbs.) from Indiana, and senior left guard Tyler Johnson (6’5” 320 lbs.), a two-year starter at Houston. Also expected to play are junior guard Tyler Brown (6’3” 310 lbs.), a starter for Sanders at Jacksonville State, and top-ranked incoming recruit Jordan Seaton (6’5” 300 lbs.) at tackle. Merely upgrading the Buffs’ offensive line to mediocre might be enough to get the Buffs into bowl contention in 2024.

Sanders is also having to overhaul the running back room after the Buffs’ top three departed. Junior Dallan Hayden (5’10” 205 lbs.) joins the Buffs from Ohio State, where he had rushed for 663 yards in his career, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. This is another position where any improvement in the offensive line will show up.

If Sanders can find time to throw the ball, the Buffs have a receiver corps that could become lethal. Junior two-way star Travis Hunter (6’1” 185 lbs.) caught 57 passes for 721 yards last season with five touchdowns while senior Jimmy Horn (5’10” 170 lbs.) caught 58 passes for 567 yards and six touchdowns. Sophomore Omarion Miller (6’2” 195 lbs.) had a huge game last season against Southern Cal, catching seven passes for 196 yards. That’s a pretty good receiver room right there, but out of the portal, Colorado is also adding senior Lajohntay Wester (5’11” 163 lbs.), a first-team All-AAC honoree at Florida Atlantic last season with 1,168 yards and eight touchdowns, and senior Will Sheppard (6’3” 195 lbs.), who led Vanderbilt with 684 yards and eight touchdowns last season. That’s now a really deep group.

On defense, Colorado continues to pursue the portal hard to supplement six returning starters. Up front, senior defensive tackle Shane Cokes (6’3” 275 lbs.) returns after a 29 tackle season. He’ll be flanked by two defensive ends out of the portal: junior B.J. Green (6’1” 270 lbs.), who earned second team All Pac-12 honors at Arizona State with 39 tackles, 7.5 of them for a loss plus five sacks and 11 quarterback hurries, and senior Dayon Hayes (6’3” 260 lbs.), who earned third-team All-ACC honors at Pitt with 45 tackles, 6.5 for a loss plus four sacks and six quarterback hurries. (Interesting side note: Hayes will be replaced at Pitt by former Husker Chief Borders.)

Both of Colorado’s inside linebackers return in 2024 with seniors LaVonta Bentley (6’0” 230 lbs.) and Trevor Woods (6’2” 205 lbs.). Bentley totaled 68 tackles with 6 for a loss plus two sacks and five quarterback hurries while Woods added 56 tackles and was credit with a half of a sack and two quarterback hurries. The Buffs added depth with senior Nikhai Hill-Green (6’2” 228 lbs.), who had 73 tackles at Charlotte and junior Keaten Wade (6’5” 250 lbs.), who has 51 career tackles while at Kentucky.

The secondary will be led by nickle back/wide receiver Travis Hunter (6’1” 185 lbs.) who had 30 tackles and three interceptions last season. Senior safety Shilo Sanders (6’0” 195 lbs.) earned third team All Pac-12 honors with 69 tackles, which led the Buffs. Senior safety Cam’ron Silmon-Craig (5’10” 185 lbs.) added 44 tackles and three interceptions. Liberty transfer cornerback Preston Hodge (5’11” 195 lbs.) had 48 tackles last season.

Deion Sanders’ first team went the opposite way from how I thought it would, as the offense gelled quickly at the start of the season in the upset of TCU in the season opener. After Nebraska gifted CU’s home opener, the Buffs pulled off the late night fourth quarter comeback against Colorado State to start the season 3-0. But the wear and tear wore down the Buffs as the season went on. Sanders’ portal-heavy strategy addressed a lot of the holes that remained in 2023 on the Buffs, and you could see a potentially strong season from Colorado in 2024. The portal strategy has proven to be a success in restoring a heartbeat to a moribund program, though it’s still unanswered whether this is a winning strategy long-term. And frankly, with Sanders’ two sons both seniors, it’s fair to wonder just how long Boulder will remain in Prime Time.