—
Comparing Apples & Oranges: CU Defense Roster Redo
—
Last off-season, CU defensive coordinator Robert Livingston was courted by the NFL (specifically the New Orleans Saints). The CU administration stepped up, giving Livingston a raise and a two-year contract, making Livingston the highest-paid assistant coach in Colorado history.
This off-season, CU defensive coordinator Robert Livingston was again courted by the NFL (this time by the Dallas Cowboys) … but this time there were decidedly mixed feelings amongst the Buff faithful about the possibility of watching Livingston leave.
Last off-season, Livingston was considered a miracle worker. He had taken a defense which in 2023 was ranked 127th in total defense (and 121st in scoring defense), and turned it into a defense which was ranked 50th in total defense nationally in 2024 (43rd in scoring defense).
Not gaudy stats, to be sure, but easily the best Buff fans had seen since 2016.
This off-season, Livingston is trying to rebuild a defense which reverted to its old habits last fall, finishing 121st in total defense (and 111th in scoring defense).
Actually … “rebuild” isn’t a fair statement.
It’s more like “starting from scratch”.
Take away the four combined starts last season by cornerback RJ Johnson and former walk-on safety Ben Finneseth, and the Colorado defense has exactly no one coming back who started a game last fall.
None. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
There had been hope in the Buff Nation that there would be at least a few building blocks from last season with which to work this fall. There were talented players still on the roster – defensive lineman London Merritt, Brandon Davis-Swain, and Alexander McPherson, linebackers Mantrez Walker and Shaun Myers, defensive backs Tawfiq Byard, DJ McKinney and Carter Stoutmire (to name a few) – but they are all gone.
CU has signed about two dozen new defensive players. Let’s break down the roster, unit by unit, taking a look at who transferred in, compare it to the list of players who transferred out, and see if there has been a net gain in the room.
(Last weekend, I posted “Comparing Apples & Oranges: CU Defense Roster Redo“, which can be found here).
—
Defense
—
Defensive Line
Graduated … Keaten Wade … Anquin Barnes … Taurean Carter … Amari McNeil …
Returning … None
Transferred out … Brandon Davis-Swain (Texas A&M) … Jaheim Oatis (Ole Miss) … Christian Hudson (Boston College) … Tawfiq Thomas (Georgia Tech) … Gavriel Lightfoot (San Diego State) … Nikhil Webb-Walker … Tavian Coleman …
Transferred in … Santana Hopper (Tulane) … Dylan Manuel (Appalachian State) … Sedrick Smith (Maryland) … Samu Taumanupepe (Baylor) … Vili Taufatofua (San Jose State) … Tyler Moore (Coastal Carolina) … Ezra Christiansen* (New Mexico State) …
Incoming freshman … Joseph Peko**
–
Transfer Portal Thoughts … You can squint at CU’s current roster of defensive linemen all you want, looking for promise, but this unit is a disaster in the making.
True, there is hope that Tulane transfer Santana Hopper can become a star. Hopper was a second-team freshman All-American in 2023 and a first-team all-Sun Belt honoree in 2024 while with Appalachian State, and had a good run with Tulane last fall. Vili Taufatofua joins the Buffs after a solid redshirt junior season at San Jose State, but is too small (6’3″, 259-pounds) to dominate the middle.
Buff fans are hopeful that two other players on the above list will actually become Buffs. Ezra Christensen*, who was one of the most sought after defensive tackles in Portal, is seeking an extra season of eligibility (ruling coming February 10th). Meanwhile, incoming freshman Joseph Peko**, son of the now departed Domata Peko, Sr. (CU’s defensive line coach, who took a job with the Pittsburgh Steelers this past week) is still listed a a “commit” to CU, but didn’t sign with the Buffs on the second Signing Day on Wednesday.
Even if Christiansen and Peko become Buffs, this is a frighteningly shallow depth chart. Not only will this unit have to surpass expectations this fall … but they will all still need to stay healthy.
Apples-to-Oranges transfer-in/transfer-out rating … A downgrade. Even before the unit lost its position coach, this room was in trouble. If the Buffs had been able to hang onto several players, like Brandon Davis-Swain and Tawfiq Thomas (and perhaps one or two others) this grade may have at least been a wash.
Instead, the room is in desperate need of signing Ezra Christiansen and Joseph Peko … and then finding two or three more diamonds in the rough from the already picked over Transfer Portal. Otherwise, this room appears destined to be CU’s greatest liability heading into the 2025 season.
Oh … and CU is still looking for a new assistant coach to lead them.
—
Edge rushers
Graduated … Tristan Marios …
Returning … Quency Wiggins …
Transferred out … London Merritt (Clemson) … Samuel Okunlola (Virginia Tech) … Alexander McPherson (Penn State) …
Transferred in … Toby Anene (North Dakota State) … Immanuel Ezeogu (James Madison) … Yamil Talib (Charlotte) … Balansama Kamara (Albany) … Lamont Lester Jr. (Monmouth) … Domata Peko (junior college) …
Incoming freshman … None
–
Transfer Portal Thoughts … When you are looking at labeling players for a defensive roster, there is plenty of room for interpretation. A transfer may have been a defensive tackle at his former school, but moves to the outside at their new school because they aren’t big enough to play inside against Power Four competition. In the secondary, one man’s nickel back is another man’s free safety.
But, no matter how you want to divvy up CU’s new front seven, there are deficiencies.
On paper, CU lost only three edge rushers to the Transfer Portal, but look at where they ended up: London Merritt (who will be playing in the NFL in a few seasons) went to Clemson, Alexander McPherson went to Penn State, and Samuel Okunlola found his way to Virginia Tech.
Their replacements? They are from the likes of Monmouth, Albany, and Charlotte. Now, Balansama Kamara may have been the Great Danes’ best player (that’s Albany), and Lamont Lester may have been an all-conference player (at Monmouth), but these are not players who are striking fear in the hearts of Big 12 defensive coordinators.
Apples-to-Oranges transfer-in/transfer-out rating … A downgrade. Yes, there are more bodies, in the room, but are there any fans who would take the six names listed above who coming in over the three who were lost?
Didn’t think so.
The CU coaching staff has been going for production over potential with this Transfer Portal class. It’s a method which worked well for Indiana these past two seasons, and is a plan now being copied across the nation.
The problem with the edge rushers being brought in … even the production hasn’t been all that impressive.
Fingers crossed that the new defensive line produces more than what their stat lines project.
—
Linebackers
Graduated … Reginald Hughes … Martavius French … Jeremiah Brown …
Returning … Kylan Salter …
Transferred out … Mantrez Walker (Alabama-Birmingham) …
Transferred in … Gideon Lampron (Bowling Green) … Tyler Martinez (New Mexico State) … Liona Lefau (Texas) …
Incoming freshman … Rodney Colton Jr. … Carson Crawford … Colby Johnson …
–
Transfer Portal Thoughts … Okay, finally some good news. The Buff linebacker room in 2025 was not deep, nor was it especially talented. The thought last spring was that a talented defensive line and a talented secondary would be able to hide the deficiencies in the linebacker corps … but that didn’t work out.
The linebacker room remains thin, with three talented freshmen making up half of the unit – so those freshmen will be called upon to contribute immediately. The transfers, though, do bring in talent … and quality production. Gideon Lampron played for Bowling Green, but started every game last season, racking up 119 tackles while earning first-team All-MAC honors. Martinez also earned first-team all-conference honors (Conference USA), posting 97 tackles for New Mexico State in 2025.
Liona Lefau, though, may turn out to be the star in the group. Lefau comes to CU from Texas, and he was not a bench-warmer in Austin. A former four-star recruit, Lefau was on the field for 1,014 defensive snaps and 788 special teams plays over three seasons. He started 12 games for Texas, 11 at middle linebacker.
Apples-to-Oranges transfer-in/transfer-out rating … A serious upgrade. Everyone who watched Colorado football last season understood that the defense struggled, and could see that the linebacker corps was one of the principal reasons.
This fall, it may be the linebackers who help to make up for deficiencies at other levels of the defense. All three transfers have impressive resumes, and the freshmen – if CU can figure out a way to actually retain its future stars in the next Transfer Portal merry-go-round – could be special.
CU coaches targeted linebackers in the Transfer Portal last off-season … and missed on almost all of them.
This off-season, CU coaches targeted linebackers in the Transfer Portal … and came up with quality starters.
—
Cornerbacks
Graduated … Preston Hodge … Ivan Yates …
Returning … RJ Johnson … Makari Vickers …
Transferred out … DJ McKinney (Notre Dame) … Teon Parks (TCU) … Noah King … Kyle Carpenter …
Transferred in … Justin Eaglin (James Madison) … Emory Floyd (Appalachian State) … Paul Omodia (Lamar) … Jason Stokes Jr. (Utah) … Cree Thomas (Notre Dame) …
Incoming freshman … Preston Ashley … Maurice Williams …
–
Transfer Portal Thoughts … This is one name short of being an off-season position group upgrade for the CU program. DJ McKinney may not be as great a loss to the roster as Jordan Seaton, or even London Merritt, but McKinney was one of the players Coach Prime took with him to the Big 12 preseason media days last July. McKinney survived being targeted while playing opposite Travis Hunter in 2024, and was to be one of the faces of the program in 2026 … not to mention being penciled in as CU’s shut down corner for the fall.
And now?
RJ Johnson started the first three games of last season opposite DJ McKinney, but then missed the last eight games due to injury. Of the transfers, only Justin Eaglin has a significant history of starting, and that was Eaglin’s 14 starts in three seasons – at James Madison. Cree Thomas from Notre Dame may have the most potential, but comes to CU as a redshirt freshman after seeing limited playing time in South Bend last fall.
Apples-to-Oranges transfer-in/transfer-out rating … A wash. There is plenty of three-star potential in this group, but CU was supposed to be working away from potential this off-season, relying more on production. Of the players coming to CU from Power Four schools, Cree Thomas was on the field for 30 snaps at Notre Dame; Jason Stokes was on the field for 29 snaps for Utah.
Fingers crossed that the safety talent will bail out the young corners … otherwise some of the safeties listed below will be asked to play corner …
—
Safeties
Graduated … none
Returning … Ben Finneseth …
Transferred out … Tawfiq Byard (Texas A&M) … Carter Stoutmire (Arkansas) … John Slaughter (Purdue) … TJ Branch (UCF) … Terrance Love
Transferred in … Naeten Mitchell (New Mexico State) … Boo Carter (Tennessee) … Randon Fontenette (Vanderbilt) … Jah Jah Boyd (Indiana) … Jayden Hardy (Oklahoma) …
Incoming freshman … Braylon Edwards … Alexander Ward …
–
Transfer Portal Thoughts … Oh, what could have been.
Look at the names of the players CU lost to the Transfer Portal, then the talented list of defensive backs coming in.
Had the Buffs been able to hang onto even one or two of the departing stars – say, Tawfiq Byard and Carter Stoutmire – and the back end of the Colorado defense may have been one of the best in the Big 12.
Boo Carter is a name Buff fans will be hearing a great deal over the next seven months leading up to the start of the 2026 season. Over 22 games of action at Tennessee, the former four-star recruit Carter had 63 tackles, seven-and-a-half tackles for a loss, two sacks, three passes broken up, three forced fumbles and one interception. He also had 343 yards on 23 punt returns. His numbers would have been even higher if he hadn’t had issues off the field, issues which led him to leave the team early. If Carter can keep his name out of the headlines off the field, he could be the steal of the season.
That said, Randon Fontenette may be even better than Carter. A four-star safety prospect out of high school, had played a total of 37 games over the last three seasons at TCU and Vanderbilt. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Fontenette has recorded 141 tackles, including 14-and-a-half for a loss, three-and-a-half sacks, 14 pass breakups, 15 passes defended, one forced fumble and one defensive touchdown, and will be looked upon to replace Tawfiq Byard in Coach Livingston’s defense.
Apples-to-Oranges transfer-in/transfer-out rating … An upgrade. While it was hard to see the likes of Byard and Stoutmire go, Boo Carter and Randon Fontenette are more than adequate replacements, with Mitchell being an all-conference performer at New Mexico State, and Boyd and Hardy bringing Power Four experience to Boulder.
—
Special Teams
Graduated … Alejandro Mata (K) … Buck Buchanan (K) …
Returning … Damon Greaves (P) …
Transferred out … Alexander Stoyanovich (K) …
Transferred in … Josh McCormick (Grambling State) (K) …
Incoming freshman … none
–
Transfer Portal Thoughts … Be afraid, be very afraid.
In 2024, Colorado was inept when it came to kicking the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs, with only 15 of 76 kickoffs going for touchbacks. Enter Buck Buchanan, who last year put 42 of 53 kicks out of the end zone.
Buchanan is now gone, as is Coach Prime favorite Alejandro Mata.
So far, CU has brought in Grambling State kicker Josh McCormick, who is set to replace … Buchanan.
McCormick led the SWAC in net kickoffs last season, but was only six-of-ten in his field goal attempts.
After that, CU’s kicking roster consists of two walk-ons … sophomore Daniel Gerlach and freshman Elliott Arnold.
Not exactly the lineup you would be looking for from a Power Four conference school.
Apples-to-Oranges transfer-in/transfer-out rating … An upgrade, but only because CU gained a kicker in the Transfer Portal, and didn’t lose one.
If you want to compete in close games … and the 3-9 Buffs, who were out-scored by an average of 30-21 last season, can only hope to be in more close games this fall … you want something more than a Grambling State kickoff specialist who made six-of-ten field goals last season.
—
Conclusion … Colorado’s 2025 defense surrendered an average of 425.7 yards per game on defense last season. That was good enough to be ranked 121st nationally, and 16th out of 16 in the Big 12 (Oklahoma State, which finished 1-11 last season, gave up 418.3 yards per game).
So, if that is your yardstick, starting over with a completely new defense isn’t a bad idea. Out of 132 starts for CU’s defense in 2025, 128 are gone.
That’s starting over.
It would be nice to say that Robert Livingston is bringing in considerably better talent, and that CU’s defense will be more like the 2024 group than what Buff fans endured last fall.
If you want to make the argument that CU’s defense has more talent this fall, I won’t argue.
But considerably better talent? That could be a stretch. The defensive line is frighteningly thin – and not demonstrably better than the group which was manhandled by Big 12 offensive lines last fall. The linebackers are definitely better than last year, and the defensive backfield has the potential to be a strength.
Can the defense improve enough to help double Cu’s win total from last season, and go bowling in 2026?
TBD
–
—–