Colorado Offensive Lineman Doesn't Hold Back About Buffaloes Running Backs

Colorado Buffaloes transfer offensive lineman Demetrius Hunter is quite confident in the team's new-look running back room.

Dec 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Legendary football and baseball player and father of Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion Sanders on the sidelines prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Huntington Bank Field. Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

One of the Colorado Buffaloes’ newest offensive linemen opened up about the running back room in spring practice.

At Tuesday’s press conference, senior center Demetrius Hunter had high praise for CU’s backfield, highlighting their physicality and explaining how he sees it helping the Buffs win games.

Who’s who for CU’s backfield?

Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Adrian Wilson (6) pushes Colorado Buffaloes running back Micah Welch (29) out of bounds in the first quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The running back position, like many others this offseason for the Buffs, saw a major transformation. The Buffaloes will feature five new faces while returning Micah Welch, DeKalon Taylor and Titus Bautista.

Running backs Richard Young and Bryce Hicks come to the Buffaloes by way of Alabama and West Georgia, respectively. Damian Henderson II and JaQuail Smith are both transfers as well, coming as a package deal. They both spent the 2025 season at Sacramento State but transferred to Colorado following the Buffs’ hiring of Brennan Marion (who was the head coach at Sacramento State last season) as their offensive coordinator.

How does the backfield play into CU’s scheme?

CU football head coach Deion Sanders, or Coach Prime, points to the scoreboard from the sideline against CSU in the Rocky Mountain Showdown at Canvas Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colo. | Cris Tiller / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Marion brought his patented ‘Go-Go’ offense with him to Boulder, and it is known for using the depth of its team’s running back room for all its worth. It often features 12 or 13 personnel, allowing the offense to create deception with the multitude of skillsets lining up in the backfield.

The two and three-back sets that it features will depend on what is unique about the skillset of each running back. But according to Hunter, each one brings that needed uniqueness, showing evidence of a well-assembled room by Coach Prime and his staff.

“I feel like you can put any one of those guys in the game and we’re going to be successful,” Hunter said. “…They’re all good at different things, so anyone you put in there, I’m cool with them.”

With a properly diverse backfield, the ‘Go-Go’ offense is at its best. Its not-so-secret weapon is the triple-option, something that takes a wide range of skillsets to pull off effectively. With each running back in this room presenting such different traits, Marion and company can keep opposing defenses guessing.

Demetrius Hunter on the backfield’s physicality

Oct 25, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Houston Cougars offensive lineman Demetrius Hunter (59) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

While the running backs and the ‘Go-Go’ offense will have a symbiotic relationship that makes both parties highly effective, Hunter has seen something out of this backfield that no scheme can teach: physicality.

“They’re not scared of contact,” Hunter said. “They’re not scared to run through your face; they’re going to put their shoulder down when contact is imminent.” 

The benefits of a physical mindset in the backfield are nearly endless. A mindset like that creates immense opportunities for running backs to make plays after first contact, as well as get the Buffs on the board in have-to-have-it goal-line situations. The ladder, of which Hunter believes will be the backfield’s biggest contribution to Colorado’s success in 2026.

“That’s good when you have a running back on the goal line and you need that extra yard,” Hunter said.  “You’ve got a running back who’s just going to put his shoulder down and run through a defender.”

Colorado’s running backs will take the field for the first time during the Buffs’ spring game as part of Black and Gold Day on April 11. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MT.

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