Three Areas Colorado Buffaloes Can't Afford to Take a Step Back

The 2025 season was full of ups and downs for the Colorado Buffaloes, resulting in a 3-9 record. However, there were still positives, while the performance as a collective wasn’t what they hoped for. So here are three areas that Colorado cannot afford to take a step back.

Pass Defense

Last season, Colorado was able to find consistency in limiting opposing teams’ passing attacks on a game-to-game basis. The Buffaloes allowed just 203.2 pass yards per game, which ranked 41st in the nation under defensive coordinator Robert Livingston.

Early in the spring semester, Livingston decided to leave Boulder to take a job in the NFL leaving Colorado with a new defensive coordinator in Chris Marve. Marve has previous experience as the defensive coordinator at Virginai Tech from 2023-2024 and was known for the versatility of his defneivse fronts as well as an emphasis on speed and physicality.

Including Livingston’s departure, the Buffaloes made a lot of changes across the roster, including a major revamp in the secondary with cornerback RJ Johnson and safety Ben Finneseth being the main returners to the squad.

Colorado Buffaloes Pass Defense Kicking Explosive Play Big 12 Deion Sanders Transfer Portal Recruiting Robert Livingston — Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos safety RJ Johnson (5) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The new additions should be able to help Colorado to remain a solid pass defense, but also help the Buffaloes to fit the run better, which is an area they struggled in. At safety, Colorado added Randon Fontenette and Naeten Mitchell, in addition to Finneseth.

At the cornerback position are Justin Eaglin, Paul Omodia, Cree Thomas, Boo Carter, Preston Ashley, and Emory Floyd with the return of Johnson.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders wanted to find players in the secondary who not only showcased ball skills, but also consistent production and experience they can rely upon to create future success.

Based on performances during spring practice, it seems Coach Prime has found what he was looking for, and at worst, he hopes to maintain what this group did during the 2025 season.

Kicking Game

In close games, the kicking game is crucial to get points on the board when drives stall out, and while the Buffaloes didn’t perform great in close games, the kicking unit did provide consistency throughout the season.

Coach Prime and Colorado had the benefit of Alejandro Mata serving as the placekicker for the 2025 season, where he gave the Buffaloes some of the more consistent results that a special teams unit could ask for.

Last season, Mata went 30-for-31 on extra points, making 96.8 percent, and 9-for-11 on field goals as he converted 81.8 percent of his kicks. There were very few times Mata did not come through for Colorado, but Mata has now run out of eligibility, so the Buffaloes' special teams now have to find a replacement.

Currently on the roster, Colorado has Josh McCormick and Elliot Arnold competing to become the new place kicker for the Buffaloes.

Arnold redshirted in 2025 during his freshman year in Boulder, but he was a very accurate kicker in his high school career with McCallie High School, highlighted by his senior season. In that season, Arnold went 15-for-17 on field goals and 41-for-43 on extra points, which gives Colorado hope that he could be the kicker for several seasons with the Buffaloes.

McCormick, on the other hand, has several years of collegiate experience at several schools, including Oregon State and William & Mary, followed by Grambling State in 2025. With Grambling State last season, McCormick made 6-for-10 field goals and went 7-for-8 on extra points.

Both McCormick and Arnold have career longs of 52 yards, so each of them has enough power to get the job done from distance.

The main factor to watch is who can be more consistent throughout spring practice and fall camp. For Colorado to improve in 2026, their kicking game must be as consistent as possible to generate points throughout the game to help Colorado get the wins to become contenders in the Big 12.

Explosive Play Defense

To be a great defense, one of the most important things is to limit the explosive plays that offenses are able to generate. The Buffaloes were a good unit in limiting explosive plays in the pass game as they limited opposing offenses to 99 plays of 10 or more yards, which was 37th in the nation.

However, the run game was a different story as the Buffaloes allowed 83 runs of 10 or more yards to opposing rushing attacks, ranking 134th nationally. The inability to stop the run in 2025 was what, in many ways, caused Colorado’s defense to struggle getting consistent stops.

Colorado’s pass defense must be able to replicate that success, and with the additions made, it appears the Buffaloes have a great chance to do that. On the ground, it can’t get much worse, but Colorado is hoping to make a significant improvement, which is why they massively improved the front seven.

Key additions up front are defensive tackles Ezra Christensen, Santana Hopper, Dylan Manuel, and Tyler Moore. On the edge, Vili Taufatofua, Toby Anene, Balansama Kamara, and Immanuel Ezeogu. On the second level, the linebacking core has Liona Lefau, Gideon Lampron, and Tyler Mrtinez to provide extra support against the run.

Regardless of how the defense performs against the run, limiting explosive plays in the pass game is something the Buffaloes simply cannot afford to take a step back in if they want to, at a minimum, maintain that level of defense. A significant improvement against the run would be a bonus.

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