Overhauled roster, staff as Deion Sanders, CU Buffs open spring practice
Deion Sanders is entering his fourth season at Colorado ready to do something he’s done plenty of times before: rebuild.
For the third time in his four seasons as the Buffs’ head coach, Sanders has an overhauled roster to work with as spring practice gets underway. CU opens spring drills on Monday, and will conclude the 15-practice spring with the Black & Gold game on April 11.
Coming off a disappointing 3-9 season (1-8 in the Big 12), Sanders promised changes and he’s certainly followed through.
Of the 95 players on the roster for the spring, 59 are new to the team, including almost everybody on defense. CU returns just 22 scholarship players, only five of those on defense.
CU will also be breaking in a new offensive coordinator in Brennan Marion, who was hired in December after working last season as the head at Sacramento State.
And, the Buffs will have a new defensive coordinator, after Robert Livingston left the team last week for a job with the Denver Broncos. Linebackers coach Chris Marve, hired in December, was promoted to the coordinator role.
Led by the coordinators, half the staff is new, in addition to all the change on the roster.
With spring ball set to begin, here’s a look at least position group:
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.
Defensive line: Completely rebuilt in the offseason, CU brought in six transfers, led by Santana Hopper, who was first-team All-AAC at Tulane in 2025 and first-team All-Sun Belt at Appalachian State in 2024. Dylan Manuel had a good season at App State last year with 37 tackles and seven tackles for loss. Tyler Moore (Coastal Carolina), Sedrick Smith (Maryland) and Samu Taumanupepe (Baylor) are all hoping for bigger roles than they had at their previous stops. Ezra Christensen was first-team All-Conference USA at New Mexico State, but he’s still waiting on a waiver to be eligible. Freshman Josiah Manu (Thompson Valley) is also competing.
Edge: Quency Wiggins returns after posting nine tackles and six hurries last year, although he could move to the interior. Kylan Salter is also back after playing a reserve role at inside linebacker last year. This group was overhauled through the portal, as Toby Anene (North Dakota State), Balansama Kamara (Albany), Vili Taufatofua (San Jose State), Immanuel Ezeogu (James Madison), Lamont Lester Jr. (Monmouth) and Yamil Talib (Charlotte) were added as transfers. Kamara and Lester were both first-team All-CAA, while Anene and Taufatofua also earned all-conference recognition. JUCO transfer Domata Peko Jr. will also compete.
Inside linebacker: Liona Lefau could be the leader of this group after starting 20 consecutive games at Texas, posting 69 tackles last season. Gideon Lampron (Bowling Green) was first-team All-MAC and one of the national leaders in tackles (119) and tackles for loss (17.5), while Tyler Martinez (New Mexico State) was second-team All-CUSA in 2024 before missing most of last year with injury. Behind that trio is a trio of freshman: Rodney Colton Jr., Carson Crawford and Colby Johnson, as well as veteran walk-ons Bo LaPenna and Gage Goldberg.
Cornerbacks: RJ Johnson and Makari Vickers are back. They combined for five starts last year but both missed much of the year with injuries. CU added veteran transfers Justin Eaglin (James Madison), Emory Floyd (App State) and Paul Omodia (Lamar), all of which earned all-conference recognition at their previous schools. Jason Stokes (Utah) and Cree Thomas (Notre Dame) join the mix after redshirting at their previous stops, while freshmen Alexander Ward and Maurice Williams aim to compete for time.
Nickel: Tennessee transfer Boo Carter is a former four-star recruit who might be the favorite to start at nickel. Redshirt freshman transfer Donavan Stephens and true freshman Preston Ashley will also battle for the spot.
Safety: Senior Ben Finneseth started six games last year, the most of anyone back on defense, but he’s injured and it’s unclear if he’ll participate in spring. The Buffs signed transfers Randon Fontenette (Vanderbilt) and Naeten Mitchell (New Mexico State), who were both captains and full-time starters last year at previous stops. Jaydan Hardy (Oklahoma) and Jah Jah Boyd (Indiana) both come from big-time programs and are looking to compete for starting roles, along with freshman Braylon Edwards.
Specialists: Damon Greaves returns at punter, while Joshua McCormick was signed as a kickoff specialist after a successful season at Grambling State. Walk-on Elliott Arnold could be in line for the starting job on field goals, while Daniel Gerlach could compete at punter or kicker.