Colorado Coaching Strategy With Up-Downs At Practice Is Turning Heads

Following a spring practice where it seems the Colorado Buffaloes coaches were not pleased with the team's effort, tight ends coach Josh Niblett had something he wanted to get across to the team.

Colorado Buffaloes Tight Ends Coach Josh Niblett Accountability Deion Sanders Demetrius Hunter Isaac Wilson Kaneal Sweetwyne — 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

Josh Niblett's Thoughts on Accountability

“If you had anything during practice, you’ll come to the middle, you’ll see what you had, and say my bad, guys. Take ownership of it. Then we’re gonna get up downs,” said Niblett in a practice video from Well Off Media.

This may seem like something that is no big deal and often a common practice for many teams, but with lots of roster turnover, this could be a great thing for Colorado to continue to do.

One of the hardest things for an athlete to do is to admit their mistakes and be humble enough to take ownership of them and apologize to their teammates. This exercise that Niblett had the offense do exactly that, where he asks players to come forward and take ownership of their mistakes.

During this exercise, three players came up, which included center Demetrius Hunter, quarterback Isaac Wilson, and quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne. Each of them made mistakes during practice and acknowledged their mistakes in front of the offense.

Moving forward, because these three were humble enough to do that, their teammates will trust them a lot more to do what they have to do, but also know if they make another mistake, they will stay accountable.

Social Media Buzz

Across social media, this approach from Niblett and Colorado is getting a lot of attention for a variety of reasons. The main one is that many people do not see the benefit of this and, in a way, see this as a weird thing for the Buffaloes to do.

The expectation for college athltetes is that they will own up to their mistakes by themselves and not have to need someone to hold them accountable. This appraoch has caused many to beleive Colorado is doing this just for the attention it gets rather than doing something else to create a more impactful message.

The reason people feel that way is this was a more common appraoch at the high school level whjich is where Niblett has been for a lot of his coaching career. Part of this could be trying what worked for him there to build accountability and trust between the players and coaches to do their jobs well.

Ultimately, Colorado has to figure out a way to be accountable to their mistakes and whether people like or not the Buffaloes get the opportunity to choose how they do that.

College football is a lot different than high school football in the way that it is viewed. Whether or not Niblett is doing this because it worked for him previously or to get attention for the program social media is buzzing about this and it seems to be negative attention for the most part for the Buffaloes.

Josh Niblett’s Role at Colorado

Coach Niblett is new to the program as of this spring. Previously, he was one of the more famous High School coaches in the state of Georgia, where he experienced lots of success, most notably at Gainesville High School.

As a coach with lots of experience in the leadership role, Niblett brings a unique perspective to Colorado. Many coaches get promoted from lower-level roles to higher level rules. Niblett's journey has been much different than that. Niblett brings his experience as a head coach to Boulder with the ability and skill set to serve multiple roles.

Niblett has coached a lot of football, and as a head coach, he was able to gain a deeper understanding of the game at multiple positions. Additionally, he has learned how young men respond to different types of coaching, whether that be in a positive way or a negative way.

During the spring, Niblett has had multiple instances of motivational speeches that give the Buffaloes’ players something to think about the next time they step on the field. The way Nibblett carries himself demands respect from the players, and as a result, creates a bond of trust that he knows how to get them better.

It is crucial to have coaches who have different types of experience on a coaching staff. Colorado coach Deion Sanders understands this, which is why he has built his coaching staff from a variety of places. Niblett seems to be one of the more impactful coaches so far with his leadership.

During the 2026 season, Niblett will look to help the tight ends become a key factor in the offense, but his impact will not just be measured by his group's success. Niblett’s other impact will come from teaching these players lessons that will help them for the rest of their lives.

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