Three Colorado Buffaloes Honored Among Big 12's Biggest Stars in Week 2

The Colorado Buffaloes’ blowout win over the Weber State Wildcats saw a variety of stars shine in their elevated spotlights. Although coach Deion Sanders expressed his dissatisfaction with his team’s performance postgame, three Colorado stars were named among the Big 12 conference's best from the week.

Edge rusher Toby Anene, safety Jah Jah Boyd and wide receiver Joseph Williams were named to the Big 12’s Team of the Week. The trio were crucial to Colorado’s win and now have a performance to build on as the Buffs enter a tough stretch of games.

Edge rusher Toby Anene

Anene had an excellent performance in Week 1 as well, but flew below the radar due to fellow defensive lineman Lamont Lester Jr.’s three-sack effort. However, he couldn’t be ignored in Week 2.

Anene was disruptive in the backfield against the run game and Wildcats freshman quarterback Nate Dahle. He contributed a sack, a quarterback hurry, a forced fumble and a pass breakup in the game despite being subbed out midway through the third quarter so the Buffs could give their backups an opportunity.

Through two weeks, Anene has an impressive Pro Football Focus grade of 88.3, as he’s been putting the nation on notice. The Buffaloes’ defensive line had low expectations in the offseason due to a lack of depth and proven talent. However, Anene has helped them rewrite that narrative through two weeks in 2026.

Safety Jah Jah Boyd

Boyd stepped up in the Buffaloes’ secondary and was one of its few bright spots. He was flying all over the field, tallying a team-high of eight total tackles with five solo tackles and a forced fumble.

“Jah Jah is the kind of kid that plays with passion, practices with passion. He plays hard, practices hard. Sometimes he goes a little too far, but you could count on him to give everything he has,” Sanders said postgame. “He's very emotional, but he plays with that, and I love that about him. I don't want him to change a thing.”

Boyd rotated in at nickel and strong safety after Makari Vickers struggled for the second-straight week. The former Indiana Hoosier had a profound impact on the game. After strong showings in Colorado’s Week 1 matchup against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and in its spring game, he may have locked down a starting role.

Wide receiver Joseph Williams

Williams was an elite deep threat for quarterback Julian Lewis against the Wildcats, helping the freshman signal-caller earn Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors.

He was the team’s leading receiver with a whopping 123 yards and two touchdowns on just four catches, good for an average of 30.8 yards per catch.

“My brother ‘Eight-ball,’ he’s truly a specimen out there,” Lewis said postgame. “I think Jo’s size really helps our wide receiver room because we have a lot of smaller guys. So people have to really worry about that deep game. He makes people have to back up, and that’s all you can ask for.”

Williams has been on fire since returning from injury during fall camp. The fact that he’s still impacting the team this much despite all of the receiver talent Colorado brought in from the transfer portal is impressive to say the least.

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