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Colorado Daily – Spring Practices
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Week One Schedule … Practices … Monday, Wednesday, Friday … Media Interviews … Monday: Offensive coordinator: Brennan Marion; players Yahya Attia, DeKalon Taylor, RJ Johnson … Wednesday: Defensive coordinator: Chris Marve, Players TBD … Friday: Coach Prime, Players TBD …
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March 1st
… CU in a few minutes …
Report: CU sophomore quarterback Dominique Ponder has passed away
… The Colorado quarterback passed away in a single-car accident … As a sophomore at CU, Ponder played in two games, making his collegiate debut against Arizona, playing the final three snaps. Ponder came to CU as a transfer from Bethune-Cookman. Ponder did not see action as a red-shirt freshman at CU in 2024 …
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AD Fernando Lovo on fund-raising: “We need Buff Nation to step up. And they have”
From BuffStampede.com …
How did you go about navigating NIL at New Mexico and how does that vary now here at CU?
Lovo: “I thought we did a really nice job at New Mexico navigating the world of the post-House settlement. You think back prior to July 1 of last year, and everything was collective based. I know we pushed really hard there to ensure we were competitive there. I know we did here as well. We had really strong collective support. The biggest thing is making sure you had a good plan going into the post-House settlement world.
“Here vs. what we were doing at New Mexico is different but the same sort of approach was important. I am pleased to say that since I’ve been here, I think we have a really, really strong internal NIL team, led by Alec Roussos, who does a great job. He is a football supportive administrator and I think our licensing agreements are very well done and give us a good foundation to make sure that our internal revenue share system is operating at a high level. And it is. I very much believe that, and I have seen that first-hand since I have been here.
“The new element here is the above the cap dollars and making sure that we’re competitive there and that we’re continuing to push the envelope to give our coaches the resources that we need.
“Look, that is a work in progress for everyone. There was a lot of front-loading of (NIL) contracts before July 1 of this past year, and now that is no longer something schools can do. We have the CSC (College Sports Commission), we have NIL Go, we have all these things that in place to help regulate the industry so we’re making sure when we have our house in order first. We have that going at a really high level, and now the next iteration is how do we increase our above the cap revenue? And we’re working really hard on that.
“We have to look back first and acknowledge that over the last 18 months, there has been a lot going on. We asked our supporters to donate to our collectives and other things to help us stay competitive there. But now that we’re in this new world, this House-settlement world, donations to the Buff Club are critical to our success because we now have a new $20.5 million expense that increases every year on our budget.
“In order for us to sustain that, so that we can operate at the highest levels, we need Buff Nation to step up. And they have. It is amazing the support they have provided us. But for us to remain competitive and continue to pace with the increases with our expenses, gifts to the Buff Club is by far the best way to support our organization.”
… Continue reading story here …
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Spring Practices Position Group Preview: Offense
From the Daily Camera …
Quarterback: Redshirt freshman Julian Lewis enters his second spring at CU as the projected starter. He played in four games last year, with two starts, throwing for 589 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore Isaac Wilson comes to CU after two seasons at Utah and he’s looking to compete for the job, as well. He made seven starts as a true freshman in 2024 with the Utes. True freshman Kaneal Sweetwyne and junior walk-on Dominiq Ponder will also compete and are loaded with talent.
Running back: Last year’s leading rusher, Micah Welch, is back. Now a junior, he rushed for 384 yards and four touchdowns last year. Senior DeKalon Taylor is also back and healthy. He made an impact early last season (85 rushing yards, 106 receiving yards and two touchdowns) before missing the last eight games with an injury. That duo will get pushed by a trio of newcomers this spring, including Damian Henderson II and Jaquail Smith, who played for new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion at Sacramento State last year, with both rushing for over 500 yards. Alabama transfer Richard Young will also compete for a starting role.
Wide receiver: Joseph Williams, who was second on the team in catches (37), yards (489) and touchdowns (four), is back. So is Hykeem Williams, who made four starts before a season-ending injury, and sophomores Quentin Gibson and Quanell Farrakhan Jr., who both played quite a bit as freshmen. This room was bolstered with transfers Ernest Campbell (Sacramento State), Kam Perry (Miami-Ohio) and Danny Scudero (San Jose State), who combined for 168 receptions for 3,022 yards last year. Scudero led the country in receiving yards (1,291), and Campbell is a speedster running for CU’s track team this spring. DeAndre Moore transferred in from Texas, but has a leg injury and it’s unclear how long he’ll be out. Freshman Christian Ward will also compete.
Tight end: This room has changed less than any other on the team, as five of the six on the roster were here last year. Zach Atkins is the leader after he made seven starts last year and caught 20 passes for 149 yards. Brady Kopetz earned a scholarship for this year and return, while Zayne DeSouza and Corbin Laisure look to compete after redshirting. Fisher Clements is a transfer from UNC who brings good size (6-foot-7, 265 pounds), while walk-on Charlie Williams hopes to compete for time, too.
Offensive line: It’ll be a rebuilt line once again as four full-time starters are gone. Larry Johnson started eight games, including seven at right tackle, but he’s opening the spring at guard. Yahya Attia (four starts) and Andre Roye (two) also return, with Attia at guard and Roye at tackle. Returners Phillip Houston and Chauncey Gooden will also compete at guard. Transfers Leon Bell, Jayven Richardson, Taj White and Bo Hughley will compete at tackle; they combined for 23 starts at their previous schools last year, with White starting 11 games at Rutgers and Bell eight at California. At guard, transfers Jose Soto and Jayvon McFadden join the competition. Soto was an 11-game starter at Sacramento State last year. Demetrius Hunter, a transfer, is likely the starting center after starting 24 consecutive games for Houston. However, he will be pushed by Sean Kinney, a two-year starter and All-Patriot League choice from Lafayette. CU also has freshmen Ben Gula (guard/center) and Xavier Payne (tackle) in the mix.
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