Colorado's Defensive Line Bottoming Out After Latest Transfer Portal Loss

Two years after a promising move to the Colorado Buffaloes, defensive end Samuel Okunlola will re-enter the transfer portal. He missed most of last season due to injury and leaves Colorado's defensive line room nearly empty heading into January.

Thayer linemen Samuel Okunlola (Brockton), during a game versus St. Mark's on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. | Marc Vasconcellos/The Enterprise via Imagn Content Services, LLC

And then there were three.

Colorado Buffaloes defensive end Samuel Okunlola plans to enter the transfer portal after two seasons with the program, according to a report by On3's Hayes Fawcett last Friday. The move shrivels coach Deion Sanders' squad to just three returning defensive linemen days the portal's official opening.

Samuel Okunlola To Enter Transfer Portal

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos defensive end Samuel Okunlola (93) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Okunlola is the 20th scholarship Buff to announce his intentions to transfer since the end of last season. He was one of two to do so on Friday, joining running back Dallan Hayden.

He's also the eighth defensive lineman to hit the portal, leaving a group that struggled heavily in 2025. But Okunlola wasn't part of it, appearing in just one game last season before a season-ending shoulder injury.

In his first season with the Buffaloes, the native of Brockton, Massachusetts, produced nicely off the edge. Okunlola started 10 of 13 games and compiled 30 tackles (18 solo, seven for loss), eight quarterback hurries, three sacks, three third-down stops and one pass breakup. He was named to College Football News's Big 12 Defensive Line of the Year.

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos defensive end Samuel Okunlola (93) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Okunlola's brightest moment came in a win over Arizona, when he notched his first and only multi-sack performance with two on quarterback Noah Fifita. His other sack of 2024 came amid a career-high effort in solo tackles (four) against UCF.

His health issues caused an unfortunate absence for the Buffs, especially considering their nosedive in pass rush production this past season. Colorado collected just 13 sacks after Okunlola helped its line lead the Big 12 one year prior.

Originally a transfer from Pittsburgh, Okunlola is on the move again with one, possibly two years of eligibility remaining if granted a medical redshirt. After waiving his true freshman season, he racked up five sacks and 18 total tackles in 2023.

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Buffs' Defensive Line Needs Dramatic Portal Haul

Sep 27, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders reacts to a touchdown scored in the first quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

As it stands, the three defensive linemen that remain at Colorado, all edge rushers — London Merritt, Quency Wiggins and Nikhil Webb Walker. Defensive line coach Domata Peko's sons, Joseph and Domata Jr., will soon join them as three-star recruits.

Merritt is the line's most promising returner by far, earning a Big 12 Freshman of the Year honorable mention after flashing dominance off the edge. The IMG Academy graduate produced eight tackles for loss and a sack in his first collegiate season.

Wiggins has appeared in 23 games over two seasons with Colorado, reaping some rewards early in 2025 with six quarterback hurries. However, the former LSU Tiger totaled just nine tackles over 162 snaps from scrimmage after largely moving to special teams, where he also spent most of his first year.

Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive end Quency Wiggins (49) celebrates his sack in the second quarter against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Webb Walker has seen time in 11 games during his two-year tenure in Boulder, also mainly as a special teamer. He most notably left the team in 2024 to battle lymphoma but triumphantly returned last June. Playing football again wasn't a given, so the former New Mexico State Aggie may look to seize his senior year's opportunity.

Otherwise, the room will undergo a full-blown overhaul through the transfer portal. It will be tough for Sanders and his recruiting team to thoroughly scout as many names as they'll need to in a two-week window that begins this Friday, so coaching must deliver. The triumvirate of Peko, Warren Sapp and George Helow has to step up and bring in considerable talent after last season's two-front disaster.