Biggest Area Colorado Defensive Coordinator Chris Marve Must Improve

For coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes to make a significant improvement, being able to hold up against top-tier Big 12 competition is critical, especially with what looks to be a tough conference schedule next season.

To make that improvement, Sanders and the Buffaloes have made several changes to the roster and the coaching staff, which includes new defensive coordinator Chris Marve, who has experienced previous success as a defensive playclaler namely during his time at Virginia Tech from 2022 to 2024.

With Marve now calling the defense, Colorado could be in a prime position to take a major step forward and compete at a much higher level in the Big 12.

Stopping The Run

There is no question that the Buffaloes’ biggest weakness in 2025 was the ability to stop the run as Colorado allowed 222.5 rush yard per game and ranked as the 135th defense against the run in the entire country.

With a poor rush defense, the Buffaloes were unable to consistently get stops because opposing offenses were able to run the ball successfully and were constantly in manageable situations on third and fourth downs.

When offenses were constantly in manageable situations, it became very difficult to get stops for Colorado, and also significantly shortened the game, which limited the Buffaloes' opportunities on offense and was part of the reason that Coach Prime and Colorado finished 3-9.

On the other hand, Marve had success as a defensive playcaller at Virginia Tech, with his units being solid against the run.

2022: Allowed 135.2 rushing yards per game, 42nd in the country
2023: Allowed 148 rushing yards per game, 57th in the country
2024: Allowed 147.1 rush yards per game, 63rd in the country

When looking at Marve’s defenses at Virginia Tech against the run, his units were solid and showcased that his defensive philosophy could be successful in the ACC.

For Colorado, if Marve is able to get the Buffaloes to go from allowing 222.5 yards to about 150 yards per game, that would be a significant improvement, as Colorado would be allowing nearly 85 yards less.

As far as Marve’s scheme goes, he has a focus on physicality, aggressiveness, and violence, in addition to having versatility up front that enables him to adjust to a variety of offensive schemes, especially in the run game.

While Marve’s scheme could be great for Colorado, if the Buffaloes do not have the right players, they could be stuck in the same spot they were a season ago. However, Colorado will not have that problem as Coach Prime and the Buffaloes made a huge emphasis on the transfer portal, specifically up front, which should help Marve’s scheme to have great effectiveness.

Some of the biggest names to pay attention to in Colorado’s front seven are defensive ends Vili Taufatofua, Toby Anene, and Lamont Lester Jr., defensive tackles Santana Hopper, Ezra Christsensen, and Dyan Manuel, in addition to linebackers Gideon Lampron, Liona Lefau, and Tyler Martinez.

These additions are very similar to the rest of Colorado’s roster in the sense that there was a clear emphasis on recruiting a blend of experience and production, which are both things that the Buffaloes desperately needed.

One player who could really stand out in this transfer class is Lampron, who recorded 17.5 tackles for loss for Bowling Green last season as one of the most disruptive players in the entire country during his 2025 campaign.

With the reinforcements that Colorado was able to add upfront, Lampron and the other linebackers should be able to fly around and consistently make plays to shut down opposing rush attacks and force offenses into obvious passing situations that could favor Colorado’s secondary and pass rush.

As far as the defensive line goes, Hopper and Christensen are two players who could have great seasons and a major impact on Marve’s defense. In 2025, Hopper tallied 10.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, while Christensen recorded 11 tackles for loss and six sacks.

The amount of disruption that Hopper and Christensen could cause from the interior is something that could completely take over games and give players like Taufatofua, Anene, and Lester great opportunities to get after the quarterback and play to their strengths.

With Marve’s previous success and his versatile scheme, the Buffaloes have a great chance to significantly improve the rush defense and the defense overall, which could result in bowl eligibility and poetntailly and opportunity to compete with even the top teams in the Big 12.

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