Three Things Holding Back the Colorado Buffaloes' Talented Roster

The Colorado Buffaloes’ roster has proven its talent in 2026 at a majority of positions. The Buffaloes’ defense has figured out some of the minor issues it faced at the start of the year and has emerged as a premier unit in the Big 12.

Even on offense, Colorado’s receivers and tight ends have been elite, its offensive line has been efficient and its running backs have taken over games at times. However, three roles in the Colorado program have brought glaring issues that have been able to hold all of that talent back, leaving them with a 2-3 record.

Quarterbacks

colorado buffaloes quarterback isaac wilson cu buffs football deion sanders coach prime texas tech red raiders ncaa big 12 hc — Oct 3, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Isaac Wilson (16) prepares to pass in the second quarter against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Buffaloes have started both redshirt freshman Julian Lewis and junior Isaac Wilson throughout the season and found no success with either.

Lewis’ issues seemingly came from him simply not being prepared to take on the weight of the starting role. He played far too conservatively, failing to push the ball downfield effectively. He ran into the first interception struggles of his college career against the Northwestern Wildcats, as he threw two in that game. That led to confidence struggles the following week against the Baylor Bears, and he was benched at halftime as a result.

But Wilson was essentially an overcorrection, as he was far too aggressive under center. He has always had a gunslinger mentality, but his tendencies caught up with him against the then-No. 12 Texas Tech Red Raiders in Week 5.

He threw three interceptions in that game, and the Red Raiders had several opportunities to add to that total that they failed to deliver on.

Offensive coordinator Brennan Marion

But the quarterbacks haven’t been helped by the efforts of offensive coordinator Brennan Marion.

His ‘Go-Go’ offense found great success in recent years while he was with the Sacramento State Hornets and UNLV Rebels, and those results created high excitement upon his hiring during the offseason. However, those expectations have been completely let down over five games, as Colorado has had the worst offense in the Big 12.

With as many talented weapons as he has in the offense, it is puzzling that he hasn’t made it work thus far. While the quarterback performances haven’t been stellar, the fact that neither of them has found success in an offense that was coined as being quarterback-friendly during the offseason can be traced back to a scheme issue.

Now that his playbook has reached the public after a copy was left in the team hotel’s bar on Friday, it is going to be even harder for him to get his unit on track.

Special Teams

colorado buffaloes kicker daniel gerlach cu buffs football georgia tech yellow jackets week 1 ncaa college football big 12 pk — Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes kicker Daniel Gerlach (38) kicks a field goal against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Special teams have still been anything but special for Colorado through five weeks, and it has seemingly been a result of something new each week.

Most recently, against the Red Raiders, kicker Elliot Arnold struggled with accuracy despite the rest of the operation going smoothly. Arnold missed both of his field goal attempts during the game, and although it wouldn’t have impacted the final score, it set a concerning tone for future games.

Even against Baylor, Colorado had a hard time on special teams. Cadel Ayala served as the team’s kickoff specialist, and not only did he fail to secure touchbacks, but he also struggled to keep the ball in play at all. His two illegal kickoff out-of-bounds penalties were critical to the field position battle as the Buffs fell 23-13 in Waco, Texas.

Each time Colorado has adjusted something on special teams, a new problem has arisen. If Colorado can’t clean up that unit, it could rear its ugly head in more high-leverage moments going forward.

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