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Colorado's Rodrick Ward declares for 2024 NFL Draft

Buffaloes grad transfer made an impact during his short time in Boulder
Josh Tolle|
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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Colorado Buffaloes

Rodrick Ward won't be returning to Colorado. The Buffs safety declared for the 2024 NFL draft on Friday. 

Ward transferred to CU after two seasons at Southern Utah. The physical defender was part of Deion Sanders' surge from the transfer portal during the off-season. He stayed busy this year with 52 total tackles, 2 PDUs, and a forced fumble.

It was a continuation of his time at SUU with Ward racking up 74 total tackles (3 for loss), five interceptions with 12 PDUs, and a fumble recovery in 28 games. He earned All-WAC honors in 2022.

Ward was a great addition for Sanders and defensive coordinator Charles Kelly. He knew it was going to be a great fit from the start.

"It’s great to play for Coach Prime," Ward said after joining the Buffs in May. "But the one who sold it the most was coach Kelly. (He) has a lot of experience and knows what it takes to get to the next level. I was able to soak in the knowledge from him."

The Buffaloes secondary will feature a decent amount of returning stars including Shilo Sanders, Travis Hunter, and Cormani McClain. Ward is the second transfer to declare for the draft. CU defensive end Taijh Alston was the first on Friday. 

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Josh Tolle
JOSH TOLLE

Josh Tolle is a writer covering college sports for On SI. Outside of storytelling, the multi-talented broadcaster has play-by-play experience at the professional and collegiate levels. In 2018, he began calling games for the National Women’s Soccer League. He has also called games for the United Soccer League, Concacaf, and the U.S. Open Cup. He has called hockey for the Premier Hockey Federation for the past three seasons and was the play-by-play voice for the Superior RoughRiders of the Western Hockey League. He has provided play-by-play for various other sports including football, basketball, baseball and volleyball events. Since 2015, Tolle has been the voice of Colorado School of Mines Athletics having called football, men's and women's basketball and soccer. He previously wrote for SB Nation.

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