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Projecting CU’s Starting Lineup: Offense
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Over the next few weeks, leading up to the 2025 season opener against Georgia Tech (Friday, August 29th, 6:00 p.m., MT, ESPN), there could be a number of changes in the projected lineup for your Buffs.
That being said, we can make some educated guesses as to what the starting lineup might be, and which position battles are still up for grabs.
So, let’s take a look at which 22 players may be the first to trot out onto Folsom Field’s new turf for the opener, starting with the offense (the preview for the defense will be posted on Sunday) …
OFFENSE
Quarterback
1.) Kaidon Salter, Sr.
2.) Julian ‘JuJu’ Lewis, Fr.
3.) Ryan Staub, So.
It’s both easy and difficult to project CU’s quarterback hierarchy. There has been little the Buff Nation learned the last few months to dissuade fans from believing that the experience of Kaidon Salter will be a deciding factor as to which player opens the season at starting quarterback.
“I call it quarterback development,” offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said when asked about the competition during the first week of Fall Camp. “I think we’ll develop a plan who plays and when once we get to the game. But right now, as we go through the installations, we demand that they all learn everything that we’re doing, and I see good progress each day.”
Shurmur said the Buffs have new installations to the offense each of the first eight days, and the quarterbacks are required to learn the install and apply it to the field.
“So, it’s a process,” he said. “They’re both very, very smart guys. JuJu, obviously, is much younger, so this process is a little bit foreign to him, but Kaidon has got a lot of experience, and he’s used to it. And I think they’re both doing extremely well.”
Salter and his dual-threat capabilities should help the Buffs ease into the post-Shedeur era at Colorado. In the past two seasons at Liberty, Salter passed for over 4,700 yards (with 47 touchdowns to 12 interceptions), but also rushed for over 1,600 yards (and 19 more touchdowns). To be sure, there was a drop off in stats from the 13-1 season in 2023 to the 8-4 season in 2024, but that had as much to do with Liberty’s overall talent levels as it did Salter’s performance.
Julian Lewis is the future of Colorado football, but he will also be a part of the present. He could play in up to four games this fall without giving up a redshirt year, but, with his talent, Lewis probably isn’t looking to be a fifth-year senior anyway, so using him in multiple games this season is not out of the question.
Ryan Staub, a holdover who has played behind Shedeur for the past two seasons (with one start in the 2023 finale at Utah), provides CU with about as much insurance at the No. 3 spot as any Power Four school could reasonably expect.
Coach Prime likely won’t announce his starting quarterback until Game Week of the Georgia Tech game, so there is little to do during Fall Camp other than to relish the fact that CU has a strong quarterback room heading into the 2025 season.
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Running back
1.) DeKalon Taylor, Jr.
2.) Dallan Hayden, Jr.
3.) Micah Welch, So.
Suffice it to say that the Colorado running back room is not as strong nor as deep as it should be. Watching former Buff Dylan Edwards become a star at Kansas State has only added insult to injury.
While new running backs coach Marshall Faulk may not have added a premier running back to his room, he does have some talent to work with this fall.
With last year’s leading rusher Isaiah Augustave now at South Carolina (after several months at Virginia), CU’s leading returning rusher is Dallan Hayden … but not by much. Hayden had 196 yards and a touchdown last season in 64 carries, while Micah Welch had 186 yards and four touchdowns with 21 fewer carries.
Not exactly impressive numbers, but then again, Colorado was last in the nation in rushing in 2025 … as it was in 2024.
Dallan Hayden, for one, believes his fortunes will improve this fall. “I would say (a sprained ankle injury in Week Two) affected me a lot last year, because I never really felt like I got back to 100%, like, being able to play as fast as I can,” the 5-foot-10, 205-pound Hayden said. “So this off season, I just spent extra time in the weight room working on strength and conditioning. Then in the training room, I’ve been strengthening my ankles like every single day.”
Both Hayden and Welch have been named to the Doak Walker Award watch list … so CU has that going for it, which is nice.
Incarnate Word transfer DeKalon Taylor may be a pleasant surprise, and earn significant playing time early this season. Taylor averaged six yards per carry last season, with 909 yards and nine touchdowns in 152 rushing attempts. Taylor, though, is only 5’9″, 165-pounds, and is likely not the answer for CU’s woes in converting third-and-one opportunities.
“I’m here to coach, so whoever they put in the room, I’m gonna coach,” Marshall Faulk said about his running back room. “The guys that we bring in, it’s my job to teach them how to get to where they want to go. So I talk to them about their goals and dreams and what they want to do, and then I make sure that that fits into what we’re doing here as a team.”
CU’s rushing attack will be better in 2025 (it literally can’t be worse), but how much better will depend in large part on whether this group of Buff running backs are up to the challenge.
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Wide Receiver 1
1.) Omarion Miller, Jr.
2.) Hykeem Williams, Jr.
3.) Terrell Timmons Jr., Sr.
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Wide Receiver 2
1.) Sincere Brown, Sr.
2.) Joseph Williams, So.
3.) Kam Mikell, R-Fr.
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Slot Receiver
1.) Drelon Miller, So.
2.) Isaiah Hardge, Jr.
3.) Jack Hestera, Sr.
4.) Quanell Farrakhan Jr., Fr.
5.) Quentin Gibson, Fr.
Wide receiver is a much more pleasant conversation to have than running back, as CU is loaded with potential at the position. While it is true that there are no obvious first round draft picks in the group, it is also a true statement that there is talent at wide receiver in Boulder. And, unlike the old saying about quarterbacks (“If a coach tells you he has two quarterbacks, what he is really telling you is that he has none”), the “more the merrier” sentiment is welcome in the wide receiver room, as there is always a need for numerous quality depth at these positions.
In trying to pick Game One starters, a dart board may come in handy. Until a true rotation is found, though, let’s go with two known names and a potential break out player as the starters …
Omarion Miller was injured for much of the 2024 season, but an eight-catch, 145-yard performance against Kansas State last fall gave Buff fans a glimpse of the possible.
Sincere Brown, meanwhile, comes to Boulder after posting a 1,000-yard receiving year last fall. Granted, Brown’s 61 catches for 1,028 yards and nine touchdowns came while in service of the Campbell Fighting Camels, but, at 6’5″, 190-pounds, Brown is a star in waiting for the Buffs.
Drelon Miller is a good choice for CU’s top slot receiver. The leading returning receiver, Miller had 32 catches for 277 yards and three touchdowns last fall. “From fall camp last year to this year’s fall camp, I feel like my confidence is through the roof,” Miller said. “It’s just the little things, attention to detail. I just put my head to it and I know I can do it.”
Other names to get to know … Sophomore Joseph Williams could quickly become a fan favorite. Meanwhile, true freshmen Quanell Farrakhan Jr. and Quentin Gibson may prove to be too talented to keep off the field. That being said, with all of the talent on the existing roster, they may prove to be quality special team standouts in 2025.
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Tight End
1.) Zach Atkins, Sr.
2.) Sav’ell Smalls, Sr.
3.) Corbin Laisure, Fr.
Until or unless the University of Colorado and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur convinces us otherwise, the Buff Nation can be forgiven in not believing anything they hear about a tight end participating in the CU offense.
“For us to win more than nine, we got to do more things, I think,” Shurmur said. “Whether it’s using more personnel groupings – we’ve developed a tight end room, right? – or doing more things, we’ll just see how that reveals itself from the development.”
Sav’ell Smalls “led” the Buff tight ends with nine catches for 68 yards last season. A converted edge player, Smalls was serviceable, and made decent strides, but there aren’t any Big 12 defensive coordinators game-planning against CU’s use o Smalls.
Zach Atkins, a transfer from Northwest Missouri State, shows promise, but missed a good deal of the spring with an illness. The Buffs also signed two true freshman tight ends, showing perhaps a future commitment to the position, with Corbin Laisure showing the most promise.
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Left Tackle
1.) Jordan Seaton, So.
2.) Andre Roye Jr., Jr.
3.) Walker Andersen, R-Fr.
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Right Tackle
1.) Mana Taimani, Jr.
2.) Phillip Houston, Sr.
3.) Larry Johnson III, Jr.
Finally got one right!
Of all the positions on the offense, the most clear cut is that of Jordan Seaton being the starting left tackle.
A freshman All-American, Seaton is listed on many preseason All-Big 12 lists. If CU’s offense is successful this fall, Seaton could actually get some All-American mentions.
Yes, Seaton is that good.
On the other side of the line, though, is far more fluid. Mana Taimani gets the nod for now, as he took the bulk of the reps with the first-team offense at right tackle this spring. Taimani played two seasons at Ole Miss under head coach Lane Kiffin, appearing in 16 games across two seasons.
Phillip Houston, though, may be the fan favorite. Houston started nine games last season, but is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered last November. If Houston is a full go, there could be a real battle for the starting right tackle position.
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Left Guard
1.) Xavier Hill, Sr.
2.) Kareem Harden, Sr.
3.) Cooper Lovelace, Sr.
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Right Guard
1.) Zy Crisler, Sr.
2.) Tyler Brown, Sr.
3.) Aki Ogunbiyi, Sr.
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Center
1.) Zarian McGill, Sr.
2.) Yahya Attia, So.
3.) Cooper Lovelace, Sr.
Kareem Harden started seven games at right guard last season, giving up only one sack in 256 passing attempts. This might be reason enough to pencil Harden back in at starting right guard, but the Buffs may have recruited over last season’s starter.
Xavier Hill was a late addition to the roster, committing to CU in April. Hill comes to Boulder by way of Memphis and LSU. The 6’3″, 325-pounder was named first-team All-AAC last season. The favorite for the other guard position is Zy Crisler. Crisler was named honorable mention all-Big Ten twice during his run at Illinois, and Crisler had a good spring in Boulder, and has the right size (6’7″, 340) to attract the attention of NFL scouts.
Another reason to like Hill and Crisler as your potential starters at guard? They were singled out by pass rush coordinator Warren Sapp early on in Fall Camp as causing problems for his defensive line. Sapp didn’t know their names (“No. 71 and No. 72”), but he knew quality when he saw it.
“There’s competition every day,” Crisler said. “You never know what’s going on. You never know who you’re playing beside every day. It’s competition every day. Everybody want it. They’re hungry. I like competition because that means I ain’t going to get comfortable and then somebody going to take my spot. And that’s how I look at it.”
But don’t forget about Tyler Brown. The versatile senior played in 13 games last season, starting 12. Brown made starts at three positions (right tackle – four, right guard – one, left guard – seven), giving up only one sack in 460 passing plays.
There are also cases to be made for Cooper Lovelace, who played for both USC and Northwestern, and Aki Ogunbiyi, who played for parts of five seasons at Texas A&M.
At center? Who knows.
The Buffaloes have moved on from Cash Cleveland and Hank Zilinskas, after both manned the center position in Boulder in 2024. McGill comes over after an impressive run at the Group of 5 level. He was named second-team all-Sun Belt as a junior at Louisiana Monroe. Attia has also shown promise and has had an excellent work ethic during his first full off-season with the Buffs.
“Fortunately, our personnel people brought in a lot of really terrific players,” Shurmur said of his offensive line. “Plus some guys that weren’t starters last year that made huge improvements. I like where we’re going.
“We need physicality and buy-in and play hard together from all five of those guys. … They’re quickly starting to gel.”
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If you look at CU’s potential starting lineup, there may be only one true starter from last season – left tackle Jordan Seaton – who earns the start in the opener against Georgia Tech.
Such turnover is usually not a recipe for success, but Buff fans may beg to differ. Unlike the first two seasons under Coach Prime, there is significant depth in every room, with returners from the 2024 campaign either stepping up into a new starting role, or being recruited over.
That’s a nice problem to have.
Georgia Tech will bring an experienced and talented defense to Boulder for Game One (42nd in total defense in 2024), with a new defensive coordinator (Blake Gideon) making preparation that much more difficult.
CU’s offense has great potential … we’ll see how it works out.
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One Reply to “Projecting CU’s Starting Lineup: Offense”
I can’t recall a time, at least on paper, that CU has had more talent and depth at qb. The offensive line appears much improved too.
Three weeks?
Go Buffs