Colorado's Offseason Move Could Lead to a Surprise Showing Next Season

After last season, the Colorado Buffaloes and coach Deion Sanders knew there needed to be changes made.

Sanders and the Buffaloes attacked the transfer portal, which could lead to a season that is more successful than many outside of Boulder expect following solid spring practices.

Improvement In The Trenches

“There should be some excitement in the fact that Deion Sanders saw it wasn’t good enough in the trenches and said ok let’s go to the portal, and we’ll get 40 plus transfers. But of those 40 transfers, we’re taking 18 from the offensive line or the defensive line,” said J.D. Pickell of On3.

Throughout Coach Prime’s time in Boulder, one of the biggest struggles that the Buffaloes have struggled to overcome is being able to be dominant in the trenches on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

The struggles became clear in a major way last year as Colorado allowed 38 sacks, which ranked 125th in the nation and was one of the main reasons the Buffaloes struggled to find success on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, Colorado significantly struggled to stop the run as they allowed 222.5 yards per game, which was 135th in the nation. The inability to stop the run changed the game and made it very difficult to get off the field.

With struggles in mind, Sanders and the coaching staff were able to add a significant amount of size and strength on both sides of the ball to help protect the quarterback and stop the run.

On offense, the major additions include Bo Hughley and Taj White at offensive tackle, Jayvon McFadden and Jose Soto at guard, in addition to Demetrius Hunter and Sean Kinney at center.

The defensive line also got major improvement, which should help the defense do a much better job of limiting the ground game and getting after the quarterback in the pass game.

Along the defensive line at defensive tackle, Colorado added Ezra Christensen, Sanatan Hopper, Dylan Manuel, and Tyler Moore as the key additions. At defensive end, the Buffaloes also landed Vili Taufatofua, Toby Anene, Balansmaa Kamara, and Lamont Lester Jr.

In many instances, improving the roster takes aggressive change, and it seems that Coach Prime and the Buffaloes have done just that in the trenches.

In a conference like the Big 12, winning on the line of scrimmage is key, with teams like Texas Tech and Utah consistently dominating up front, which has led to performances at the top of the conference.

With the improvement that Colorado has made in the trenches, it should give the back end of the defense and the skill players on offense what they need to take a step forward in 2026.

The Impact of Julian Lewis’s Performance In 2026

“If you can prove that Julian Lewis is in a spot where he’s going to have success and be a centerpiece to play with, and been developed here over the course of the last couple years, that would do wonders for the trajectory of the program,” added Pickell.

Without a doubt, one of the biggest storylines for next season is the fact that redshirt freshman Julian Lewis is projected to be the starter in 2026. After gaining some experience in 2025, Lewis is set to build on his performance.

Heading into next season, Lewis does have some pressure on himself to perform to help Colorado find the sustained success they have been looking for in recent years under Sanders. The key for Lewis is showing growth from his first collegiate season, and that he has the ability to lead an offense that can be productive and explosive.

Last season, the Buffaloes struggled to create a consistent offense, which is a major reason why the team's success was limited. Based on that, Coach Prime made several changes on offense, which started with the addition of Brennan Marion as the new offensive coordinator.

Marion’s offense functions through establishing a physical rush attack and getting the ball in space, which could mesh perfectly with Lewis’s skill set. As a quarterback, Lewis functions as a point guard, which should help him to get the ball out quickly and take advantage of the speed that the Buffaloes added through the transfer portal.

Some of the major additions at receiver who could make major impacts include Danny Scudero, DeAndre Moore Jr. and Joseph Williams who returns to the Buffaloes after a solid showing in 2025.

With a new offense and much-improved weapons, Lewis has the opportunity to help Colorado have one of its best seasons under Sanders and potentially compete for a Big 12 title.

If Lewis can perform well this year, he could not only help the Buffaloes find success in 2026 but also become the quarterback of the future and help propel Colorado to have consistent success in the Big 12 conference.

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