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Projecting CU’s Starting Lineup: Offense
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Fall Camp opens on August 2nd, with the Buffs heading to Colorado Springs for some bonding and the first week of Camp. Over the the course of the 15 practices, leading up to the 2026 season opener against Georgia Tech (Thursday, September 3rd, 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 the depth chart of each position, then take a guess at which players may be the first to trot out onto Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta for the opener. We’ll start with the offense (the preview for the defense will be posted next Sunday) …
… Returning starters in bold …
OFFENSE
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Depth Chart: Quarterbacks
Seniors: None
Juniors: None
Sophomores: Isaac Wilson
Redshirt-Freshmen: Julian “JuJu” Lewis
Freshman: Kaneal Sweetwyne
Projected Starter … Julian Lewis
Asking for a friend: Should Buff fans feel comfortable with the fact that Colorado has as many long snappers on its roster as it does quarterbacks? (and that one of the three quarterbacks on the roster is a true freshman?)
After the tragic loss of Dominique Ponder in a traffic accident on March 1st, the speculation was the CU would pick up at least one more quarterback for the fall … for insurance purposes if nothing else.
Instead, it’s going to be Julian Lewis taking over at starting quarterback, with two backups on the roster. Lewis played in four games last season, completing 55% of his passes for 589 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Lewis could have played in five games last season (or more), but Lewis sat out the 2025 season finale against Kansas State to protect his redshirt season … before the NCAA decided everyone gets five years to play five.
Lewis is now being entrusted with the “Go-Go” offense of offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, and hopefully will be better prepared for what lies ahead. Lewis raised some eyebrows – and some hackles – at the Big 12 media days when he stated, “I’m actually looking at the defenses now. Last year, we wasn’t really looking at defenses much, just kind of high school free-balling, just out there playing football. But it’s a lot bigger than that now, so it should be fun.”
For the moment, let’s set aside the pitchforks for former offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur (and Coach Prime?), and focus on the future. “He’s grown tremendously,” Coach Prime said at the Big 12 media days. “I don’t think he has a choice with (offensive coordinator) Brennan (Marion). I don’t think he has a choice. I’m not the only one pushing him. Teammates are pushing him, he’s pushing himself. I think he’s grown tremendously, and he’s going to have to consistently grow, because we have some men on the team that has an expectation of not only winning, but we have some receivers that has an expectation of continuing to do what they’ve done before they got here.”
Backing up Lewis will be Isaac Wilson. A Utah transfer, Wilson was forced into action as a true freshman in 2024 for an injured Cam Rising, starting seven games (including a 49-24 loss to CU). Wilson completed 56% of his passes that season, throwing for 1,510 yards, with ten touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Kaneal Sweetwyne is the true freshman in the quarterback room. If you see him in a game this fall, things are either going really well for your Buffs (playing time in blowout wins) … or really bad …
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Depth Chart: Running backs
Seniors: DeKalon Taylor
Juniors: Micah Welch, Damian Henderson II, Richard Young
Sophomores: JaQuail Smith
Redshirt-Freshmen: None
Freshman: Cam Newton
Projected Starters … Damian Henderson II, Richard Young
Did you catch it?
For the first time in recent memory, we are talking about projected starters at the running back position at CU. Colorado – as is the case with many schools in this era – have more often than not been fielding a lineup with one running back and three wide receivers.
The Brennan Marion offense, however, starts and finishes with the running game. Last season at Sacramento State, Marion had a 1,200-yard rusher and an offense which averaged 33.8 points per game. Meanwhile, CU averaged 20.9 points per game. CU’s leading rusher last season, Micah Welch, had – cough! cough! – 384 yards rushing last fall.
While the offensive coordinator at UNLV, Marion’s Rebels had great success, posting a 19-8 overall record. In 2024, UNLV ranked 14th in the FBS with a school-record setting average of 36.2 points per game. The team’s average of 251.2 rushing yards per game was the most for the school in over 45 years.
Suffice it to say, the Colorado offense will look significantly different than in years past. Last season, the Buffs were 104th in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 125.6 yards per game … and that was an improvement from 2024, when CU was 133rd (dead last) in the nation in rushing, with 65.2 yards rushing per game.
So … Who gets the ball? Damian Henderson II played in Brennan Marion’s offense last season at Sacramento State. Despite earning only one start, Henderson ranked second on the team with 565 rushing yards on 91 carries with five touchdowns. Henderson also had seven receptions for 65 yards during the year. Henderson’s familiarity with the Go-Go offense should earn him some early playing time.
Richard Young, meanwhile, has been a backup at Alabama the past few seasons. For me, Young’s size, a 5’11”, 210-pound bowling ball, gives him the edge over another Sacramento State transfer, JaQuail Smith. Like Henderson, Smith had over 500 yards rushing for Brennan Marion last season, but Smith missed spring ball with a groin injury.
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Wide Receiver
Seniors: Hykeem Williams, DeAndre Moore Jr., Kam Perry
Juniors: Joseph Williams, Danny Scudero
Sophomores: Ernest Campbell, Quentin Gibson, Quanell X Farrakhan Jr.
Redshirt-Freshmen: None
Freshman: Christian Ward, Alexander Ward, Jacob Swain
Projected Starters … Danny Scudero, DeAndre Moore
Colorado has been able to recruit excellent talent at wide receiver in the Coach Prime era. Being able to retain that talent, though, hasn’t always been that easy. A former Buff, Jordyn Tyson was a first round NFL draft pick for Arizona State this past April, with Omarion Miller looking to follow in Tyson’s footsteps this fall.
Despite the losses, CU’s wide receiver room continues to impress. Even with the Miller defection, Phil Steele lists CU’s wide receiver room as the No. 8 unit in the nation, tops in the Big 12 (the only other Big 12 team in Phil Steele’s Top 25 is Texas Tech, at No. 20).
Coach Prime, for one, is excited about his receivers. “I played the game, and I played it pretty good,” Coach Prime said at Big 12 media days. “Those guys on that offensive side of the ball, they have the mentality. They’re not just receivers that can run routes. They have the mentality that they can go out there and get it. They want the smoke. They want to see you play man-to-man in front of them.”
It would be a surprise if Danny Scudero, quickly becoming the face of the 2026 Buff team, isn’t on the field for significant action this fall. Scudero was a second-team All-American last season at San Jose State, finishing the season with 88 receptions for 1,297 receiving yards – which led the nation! – and 10 touchdowns. Scudero is only 5’9″, 175-pounds (which is why, perhaps, Scudero was rated as only the No. 51 wide receiver in the Transfer Portal), but somehow he still gets it done.
The other name Buff fans are most excited about is Texas transfer DeAndre Moore. While many of CU’s transfers from Power Four conference powers in the Coach Prime era have been four-star high school prospects who sat on the bench, Moore had 18 starts in his three years at Texas. Last season, Moore played in 11 games, totaling 38 receptions for 532 yards and four touchdowns, earning him the status as the No. 6 wide receiver in the Transfer Portal.
There should be plenty of opportunities for the other wide receivers in the room – here’s looking at you, Joseph Williams – to have an impact, Scudero and Moore, though, seem like the best bets to get the starting nods come September.
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Tight End
Seniors: Zach Atkins, Brady Kopetz, Fisher Clements
Juniors: None
Sophomores: None
Redshirt-Freshmen: Corbin Laisure; Zayne DeSouza
Freshman: Ben Gula
Projected Starter … Zach Atkins
Last season, Zach Atkins started all 12 games for the Buffs, yet finished the season with only 20 receptions for 149 receiving yards and no touchdowns (though Atkins did score a touchdown falling on a fumble by quarterback Ryan Staub against Houston).
The numbers posted by Atkins were higher than the nine catches for 68 yards posted by Sav’ell Smalls posted to lead the team in 2024, but a season total of 149 yards receiving is still far from dominance.
There should be a slight uptick from the CU tight ends room in 2026, but Brennan Marion’s offense is not tight end centric. Last season, the leading tight end for the Hornets was Jordan Williams, with 11 receptions for 170 yards and a touchdown.
Zach Atkins will be the starter … but it remains to be seen if he is a factor in the passing game.
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Offensive Line
Seniors: Larry Johnson III, Taj White, Demetrius Hunter, Leon Bell, Andre Roye Jr., Jayven Richardson, Phillip Houston
Juniors: Bo Hughley, Jose Soto, Sean Kinney
Sophomores: Yahya Attia
Redshirt-Freshmen: Chauncey Gooden, Jayvon McFadden
Freshman: Xavier Payne
Projected Starters … Left tackle: Bo Hughley … Left guard: Yahya Atttia … Center: Demetrius Hunter … Right guard: Jose Soto … Right tackle: Taj White
It is said that an army travels on its stomach. A college football offense, meanwhile, travels on the effectiveness of its offensive line.
Last season, Colorado was 124th in sacks allowed, 104th in rushing offense, and 112th in total offense. The Buffs are starting over, of course, and there is plenty of work to be done.
It starts up front, and it starts with depth.
“We probably have eight to nine offensive linemen that can start,” Coach Prime said. Asked if that was the first time he has felt that level of confidence in the trenches, Coach Prime did not hesitate. “First time ever,” he said.
Would Buff fans be more confident about CU’s offensive line if Jordan Seaton was still wearing the black-and-gold, instead of the green – sorry, the purple and gold – of LSU? Of course. But, without limitless funds, the money it would have taken to keep Seaton has been better spent on depth.
Bo Hughley looks to be the replacement for Seaton at left tackle. Hughley comes to CU from Georgia, where the 6’7″, 295-pound tackle played in ten games – starting two – for the Bulldogs last season. Hughley comes in highly thought of, rated as the No. 29 tackle in the Transfer Portal.
The other tackle spot looks to be a battle between two former Power Four conference transfers, with Taj White coming to CU from Rutgers, while Leon Bell comes to Boulder by way of Cal. Phillip Houston, a starter for CU in 2024, could also find his way into the mix.
Perhaps the only returning starter on offense for CU this fall other than Julian Lewis will be left guard Yahya Attia
“He’s a Swiss Army knife,” offensive line coach Gunner White said of Attia. “Whatever you need him to do, he’s gonna do. And he’s not gonna buck you, he’s not gonna do anything crazy, he’s gonna do exactly what you tell him to do. And if he does mess up, he’s in my office I’d say almost every day unless he’s got a tough exam or paper or something like that. We’re always on the same page and getting him cleaned up and corrected and he’s good to go.”
The other guard position may fall to Jose Soto, who follows Brennan Marion from Sacramento State. Last season with the Hornets, Soto started 11 games at right guard, and didn’t allow a sack. If Soto isn’t ready for Power Four competition, though, Chauncey Gooden or Jayvon McFadden may fill one or both of the guard positions.
The center position may be the easiest spot on the line to project, with Houston transfer Demetrius Hunter a clear step above Lafayette transfer Sean Kinney and others with snapping experience. In his four prior seasons with the Cougars, Hunter started in 25 games as one of the most reliable interior offensive linemen in the Big 12.
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As noted, if you look at CU’s potential starting lineup on offense, there may be only two starters from last season – quarterback Julian Lewis and left guard Yahya Attia – who earn starts 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 three seasons under Coach Prime, there is significant depth in every room, with returners from the 2025 campaign either stepping up into a new starting role, or being recruited over.
That’s a nice problem to have.
“At this point right now, I love it,” Coach Prime said of his roster. “It is us. It’s who we are, what we desire. It’s not just grabbing the guy who is a four-star or five-star. It’s the guys that fit and the guys that have that mentality that they want to play the game.
“They’re not just here for a bag,” he continued. “They’re not just here for the lights and the cameras. They’re here because they love the game. Those are the type of guys we have on the roster right now.”
Georgia Tech will be playing under its fourth defensive coordinator in four years, but will be at home – and confident.
CU’s offense has great potential … we’ll see how it works out.
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