Colorado's Major Question On Offense Entering Next Season

Heading into the 2026 season, the Colorado Buffaloes and coach Deion Sanders have added several players across the roster and could be poised for a much better showing than last season.

Even with the added talent and revamped roster, there is still one concerning development on offense that could set Colorado back and potentially could be very problematic for the Buffaloes success in 2026.

Most Concerning Development Heading Into Next Season For Colorado Buffaloes Offensive Line Continuity Transfer Portal Big 12 — Nov 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Unclear Starters On The Offensive Line

The biggest concern for Colorado at this point does seem to be the uncertainty about who the starter will be along the offensive line.

In the spring, the Buffaloes opted to take a different approach to practice as Coach Prime had the players build teams through a draft, which set up player competitions and interesting matchups throughout spring practice.

However, with that kind of approach to the spring, Colorado was unable to take a look at as many offensive line combinations as possible, and with many newcomers, this could be a major issue. The reason this is such a big deal is based on the fact that the offensive line is not like most position groups. It requires chemistry and constant communication with what the defense is doing.

Just to give some perspective, here are the new additions on the offensive line:

Tackles:

Bo Hughley (Georgia transfer)
Taj White (Rutgers transfer)
Jayven Richardson (Missouri transfer)
Leon Bell (Cal transfer)
Xavier Payne (Freshman)

Guards:

Jayvon McFadden (Ohio State transfer)
Jose Soto (San Jose State transfer)

Centers:

Demetrius Hunter (Houston transfer)
Sean Kinney (Lafayette transfer)

Colorado also has several players returning to the team after 2025, including:

Tackles:

Larry Johnson III
Andre Roye Jr.
Philip Hosuton

Guards:

Yahya Attia
Chauncey Gooden
Hudson Steber

When taking a look at the status of this offensive line, it is clear that giving them more opportunities to work together and showcase who the best are is essential. With Colorado bringing in nine linemen and returning six linemen, the Buffaloes may have a completely new starting lineup, which will require great chemistry to ensure the unit can play well.

When thinking about possible starters, tackle appears to be the position with the most uncertainty, as Colorado invested a lot of resources in it primarily through the transfer portal. As of now, the leading candidates appear to be Hughley, White, Johnson, and Bell, but through camp, other players could emerge as starters with consistent performance.

At guard, there are several options as well, but McFadden, Soto, Attia, and Gooden appear to be Colorado’s top options right now, so it will be interesting to see who can win the guard spots. In the middle of the offensive line at center, Hunter does have the Big 12 experience after playing at Houston, which could give him the advantage over Kinney, but nothing is certain yet.

With all the uncertainty that Colorado has upfront, the camp competitions will be fierce and could put the Buffaloes in a position where the starting offensive line is decided right before the season, which may hinder the success of the Buffaloes’ offense.

Colorado’s Offense May Be Behind Schedule Heading Into 2026

Regardless of when Colorado decides the five starters on the offensive line, the Buffaloes also have the challenge of installing a different offensive scheme under new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion while also preparing to start a young quarterback in redshirt freshman Julian Lewis.

While Colorado did have the spring to learn the offense, not having clear starters on the offensive line could hurt the chemistry and cohesion of the Buffaloes' offense under Marion.

As one of the more innovative offensive minds in college football, Marion has been able to build a successful offense that hinges on getting the ball in space as well as a downhill rushing attack that requires attention to detail on blocking angles to clear lanes for the running backs.

Without clear starters, the unit will have to constantly adapt to different skill sets up front until the starting unit is named at the point Colorado could be just a few weeks out from the start of the season. That is not even to mention that Lewis will be new to being the full-time starter and could have some nerves, which will be enhanced behind a line that lacks chemistry and fluidity as a unit.

With all that said, many of these linemen do have experience in conferences like the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, ACC, and Mountain West, which could speed up the process of building chemistry and put Colorado in a much better position than it is currently. However, the Buffaloes do have to prove that on the field and will be tested early on in the season with road tests against Georgia Tech, Northwestern, and Baylor.

As Colorado’s revamped offense heads into next season, it will be very interesting to see which linemen win the starting jobs and how they are able to perform individually and as a unit. If the unit can perform well together, this collection of experience and talent could become one of Coach Prime’s best units, but if these players cannot mesh well together, Colorado’s offensive line issues will continue.

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