How Egyptian-Born Yahya Attia Has Developed Into Force On Colorado Buffaloes' Offensive Line

BOULDER — Born in Egypt and developed at the NFL Academy in London, Yahya Attia is now coming into his own amid his second season on the Colorado Buffaloes' offensive line.

Attia received his first career start in Saturday's loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers and impressed with a pass-blocking grade of 87.9, earning him a spot on Pro Football Focus' Big 12 Team of the Week. It may not have been a great overall game for Colorado's offensive line, but the 6-foot-4, 330-pound Attia again proved strong on the interior offensive line.

"I've been comfortable since I'm here," said Attia, who began playing American football only three years ago. "It's just the coaches giving me the opportunity to finally show what I can do. It didn't feel anything new being on the field. In practice, you got (great) defensive players, so it just makes it easier on the field against other teams."

Yahya Attia Stepping Up On Colorado's Offensive Line

How Egyptian Born Yahya Attia Developed Force Colorado Buffaloes Offensive Line Big 12 Football Deion Sanders Coach Prime CU — Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes offensive guard Yahya Attia (59) during the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

After seeing snaps as a sixth offensive lineman/tight end earlier this season, Attia has seen increased opportunities on coach Deion Sanders' interior offensive line in recent weeks, partially because of Jordan Seaton, Larry Johnson III and Xavier Hill missing time due to injury. Still, Attia's versatility has afforded him valuable game reps.

"That's what's gonna get me quick on the field," Attia said. "They told me, 'You want to play tight end?' I said, 'Yes.' Do you want to play this? I practice guard, center, whatever. I'm just ready to play whatever. I played right guard in the game; I played left guard in the game; I played center in the game, so I don't really care. I think I'm the best on every position."

Attia later added that he takes great pride in his football intelligence, which was a major focal point during his first college season last year.

"I haven't had no college experience at all. If you was here at practice last year, (I had) limited reps," Attia said. "But the thing that really helped me is, I couldn't show everything on the field because of the limited reps in practice, but off the field, I'm just watching tape, learning the playbook, learning the defense. I'm International. I know I'm new to the game, but I feel like I'm one of the smartest."

MORE: What Colorado Quarterback Julian Lewis Said After Impressing In First College Start

MORE: Three Big Takeaways From the Colorado Buffaloes' Loss to West Virginia

MORE: What Deion Sanders Said After Colorado Buffaloes' Loss to West Virginia

Credit To Offseason Work

Asked if there was a specific time that things began to click, Attia credited Colorado's summer workout program and strength and conditioning coach Andreu Swasey.

"It started with summer workouts. It started with coach Swasey," Attia said. "Finishing first, running, that's how it started. It wasn't even football first. I started to get more confident. I'm like, 'All right, I was playing around too much last year; now I ain't no freshman no more.'"