CU Buffs Football Preview 2024 by Prairie Mountain Media

It’s must-see TV

Coach Prime’s Buffs aim to produce wins as well as ratings

By Brian Howell bhowell @prairiemountainmedia.com

Ohio State had no reason to concern itself with Colorado in 2023.

The Buckeyes and Buffaloes aren’t in the same conference. They haven’t played each other since 2011. And, the 2023 Buckeyes didn’t play anyone that faced CU, so there was no reason to even scout a game in which the Buffs were involved.

Yet, they had eyes on CU up in Columbus, Ohio.

ished the season ranked in the top 10 of the national polls.

CU’s popularity stemmed from the arrival of head coach Deion Sanders, a Hall of Fame athlete, larger-than-life personality and highly successful coach at Jackson State before coming to Boulder in December of 2022.

closed a press conference at CU’s media day on Aug. 9. “I’m telling you what I know, not what I heard.”

The most confident man in sports expressing confidence is no surprise. But, there are plenty of reasons for him to be excited about the upcoming season.

and they’re great quarterbacks. They’re super smart, they throw a great ball, and they work super hard at it.”

“Everyone was excited to watch the Buffs play,” said first-year CU tight end Sam Hart, who played the past three years at Ohio State. “They had that marked on their weekly calendars of when they play, what time, who they’re playing, that kind of stuff.”

The 2023 Buffaloes were one of the most-watched teams in college football, with an average of 6.03 million viewers for the nine games that registered numbers (Pac-12 Network numbers were not reported). The only teams ahead of them — including Ohio State — fin-

Sanders brought unprecedented swagger and attention to the Buffs last year, not to mention a parade of celebrities in Boulder never seen before. There’s good and bad to that, as no coach — and no program — has been as heavily scrutinized as CU since Coach Prime got to town.

Fans will continue to tune in this year to see what Coach Prime will cook up in his second season. And there will continue to be stories written that will praise or criticize the Buffs and Coach Prime.

Yet beyond the flash and the headlines, there is substance to the CU program, and that’s what will determine whether the Buffs can not only produce ratings, but wins.

“It’s going to be a phenomenal year,” Coach Prime said as he

For starters, CU has arguably the best quarterback in the country, and perhaps the best in program history with Shedeur Sanders. The head coach’s son set a school record with 3,230 passing yards last year, was one shy of the record for passing touchdowns (27) and was picked off just three times. And that’s while getting sacked a program-record 52 times and missing the last six quarters with an injury.

Hart sees similarities between Shedeur and his former teammate, CJ Stroud, who was the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year last season.

“Yeah, they handle their business as professionals,” Hart said. “You can easily see it with those guys, that they’re professional athletes. They handle it on and off the field,

Shedeur might be worth the price of admission on his own but may not even be the best player on the team. Travis Hunter is an All-American candidate at cornerback and receiver — a rare two-way star who, like Shedeur, is projected as a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Hunter was selected by Big 12 media as the preseason defensive player of the year in the conference, while Shedeur was picked as the first-team All-Big 12 quarterback. The fact that CU could have two stars like that and still land 11th in the media poll suggests that there’s not a lot of faith in everyone around them.

Within the walls of the Champions Center, though, there’s a lot of belief in what the Buffs have built this offseason. Coach Prime said he wants four Buffs to go in the first round next spring and he sees NFL talent all over the roster, but team

BUFFS GOING BIG

2024 COLORADO BUFFALOES

It’s must-see TV Coach Prime’s Buffs aim to produce wins as well as ratings

By Brian Howell bhowell @prairiemountainmedia.com

cern itself with Colorado in 2023.

en’t in the same conference. They haven’t played each other since 2011. And, the 2023 Buckeyes didn’t play anyone that faced CU, so there was no reason to even scout a game in which the Buffs were involved.

Columbus, Ohio.

the Buffs play,” said first-year CU tight end Sam Hart, who played the past three years at Ohio State. “They had that marked on their weekly calendars of when they play, what time, who they’re play ing, that kind of stuff.”

and they’re great quarterbacks. They’re super smart, they throw a great ball, and they work super

Shedeur might be worth the price of admission on his own but may not even be the best player on the team. Travis Hunter is an

back and receiver — a rare two-way star who, like Shedeur, is projected as a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL

the most-watched teams in college football, with an average of 6.03 million viewers for the nine games that registered numbers (Pac-12 Network numbers were not re ported). The only teams ahead of them — including Ohio State — fin- nal year,” Coach Prime said as he They handle it on and off the field,

ons Center, though, there’s a lot of belief in what the Buffs have built this offseason. Coach Prime said he wants four Buffs to go in the first round next spring and he sees NFL talent all over the roster, but team

Bowl within sight, but Buffs could run gamut this season

Until the season officially kicks off, no one really knows anything. That has always been the case in college football, yet it has never been more accurate. With players flocking through the transfer portal annually in pursuit of greener pastures and NIL payoffs, a sport that once was steeped in the tradition of grassroots recruiting and steadfast player development has morphed into a yearly free agent feeding frenzy.

Colorado under Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders has offered a prime example of how the new build-on-the-fly ethos of college football is now the name of the game. Year two under Sanders will be no different.

Often lost in the downturn of a 2023 season that turned a 3-0 start into a 4-8 finish was the bare earth Sanders began his rebuild with. Out with one roster, in with another, and the woeful Buffaloes of 2022 at least turned into a far more talented bunch, often fun to watch, that was maybe a few key injuries or improved depth away from something more special than 4-8.

Once again, it was out with one roster (mostly) and in with another. Yet the improved depth is here, at least to a certain extent. One of the top quarterbacks in the nation is here in Shedeur Sanders, as is the top all-around player in the nation in Travis Hunter. And the crystal ball in this corner says the Buffs will be improved just enough up front on both sides of the ball to earn that elusive bowl bid at 6-6 in the re -

Oklahoma State). If Shedeur is under assault from opposing pass rushers for a second full season, those victorious shootouts won’t come to fruition. Also, we were sold on a staff upgrade last year only to watch that staff begin crumbling before the season was over. Can the new-look staff push the Buffs to another level?

Get that bowl bid, however, and the real drama might begin. The trend in college football is for players of Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders’ status (i.e., certain first-round NFL draft picks) to skip non-playoff bowl games, especially the 6-6 ilk that are the equivalent of football’s NIT. If that happens, does Shilo Sanders follow suit? Does a transfer portal

And what of coach Sanders?

FROM PAGE 2

success is vital.

“Of the top, I think, four teams in college football, including Florida State, those schools collectively had the most kids that were drafted,”

turn season in the Big 12 Conference.

I’ll say this: 2024 marks the eighth year I’ve done a prediction column, and I can’t recall another instance when I’d be equally un-surprised if CU went 4-8 as 8-4. This bunch seems equally capable of making a run as watching the wheels fall off. I’m taking the middle ground for two reasons: The Buffs have the quarterback and skill position talent to stay in every game and maybe win a few shootouts, but there’s far too many “what-ifs” to see a finish significantly north of .500.

How can the Buffs exceed that particular expectation? Sweep the two rivalry nonconference games on the road — Nebraska and Col-

he said. “That’s what winning does. So if you want more young men to go into the draft from your team, win. That’s all you’ve got to do. Just win.”

The Buffs believe they can do that, not only because of Shedeur and Hunter, but a plethora of talent at receiver, an upgraded offensive line, a more experienced and

orado State — and the Buffs will be ahead of the curve when the worst of the Big 12 rigors arrive (assuming they avoid what would be a disastrous loss in the opener against a very good FCSlevel team, North Dakota State). If the offensive line is markedly better than the low bar of “they can’t be worse than last year” and Shedeur Sanders has a semblance of a run game to work into the mix, CU’s offense will be a juggernaut.

How can things go awry? Get swept in those early road games, and the Buffs will have to win a few they aren’t supposed to, including on the road, before testing their fate in a rugged final third of the slate (at Texas Tech; home Utah; at Kansas; home

talented defensive line, upgrades at linebacker and in the secondary, and a kicking game they trust.

Of course, confidence is there, too. Coach Prime and his sons have been winners all their lives and they plan to win this year.

“I don’t think we out there working out every day to try to lose,” Shedeur said.

A 6-6 season won’t put the Buffs into contention for any championships, but going from the dregs of power conference football to a bowl game in two seasons nevertheless will be viewed as a heck of a coaching accomplishment. I’m not convinced power programs won’t be interested in wooing Sanders due to the accompanying media frenzy he’d bring. Certainly a few will fall into that camp, but I think it’s equally true that plenty of programs, or NFL teams, might view Coach Prime as the exact sort of infusion of energy their program needs. Nevermind the looming conundrum of continuing to coach without his children involved, which has never happened in Sanders’ relatively short coaching career.

Ah, but those are questions for the end of the fall. Until then, sit back and enjoy the ride. Win or lose, it’s all but certain to be entertaining.

“That is not what we’re trying to do. Obviously things happened last year to where we didn’t make that happen, but I feel like everybody’s goal in the building is to win. … What I feel confident in is we’re all better versions of ourselves, and we have new and improved players. So, you just do the math. It’s got to add up.”

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders gives instructions to players during the spring game on April 27 in Boulder.

OFFE NSE PREVIEW

All the right ingredient s to cook up success?

CU ATHLE TICS — C OURTESY PH OTO

Receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. is one of the top returning players for the C olor ado offense. In 2023, he caught 58 passes for 567 yards and six touchdowns.

Quarterbacks

Returners with 2023 star ts: Shedeur Sanders, 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Sr. (11 star ts); R yan Staub, 6-1, 200, R-Fr. (1 star t)

Other returners: C olton Allen, 6-3, 205, So. (walk-on)

Transfers: Walter Taylor III, 6-5, 235 (Vanderbilt); Des tin Wade, 6-3, 225, So. (Kentucky); Dominiq Ponder, 6-5, 185, R-Fr. (Be thune- Cookman; walk- on).

True freshmen: None.

Key losses: None.

Running backs

Returners with 2023 star ts: None.

Other returners: Charlie O fferdahl, 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Jr.; Chris tian Sarem, 6-2, 210, So. (walk-on)

Transfers: Isaiah Augus tave, 6-2, 210, So. (Arkans as); Dallan Hayden, 5-10, 205, So. (Ohio State).

True freshmen: Brandon Hood,

Shur

mur now

t he head chef for Bu ffs’ offense

By B ri an Howel l bh

owell

@prair ie mountainmedi a.com

Wi th f ou r ga me s to p la y in the 2023 s ea son, C olor ado he ad coach Deion Sa nder s ha nded t he pl ay-c al li ng dut ie s on o ff en se t o Pat Shurmur

It wasn’t exac tly a prev iew of the 2024 sea son, however.

“It’s ha rd t o cook i n somebo dy else’s k itchen, because you can’t really change anything at that point,” Shur mur said of ca lling the offense de si gned b y former c oord in at or Sea n L ew is

Th is yea r Shur mu r is t he hea d chef, and he’s spent the entire offse ason get ti ng t he Bu ff s re ady to go on offense.

“W ha t I do k now is w e were able t o ki nd of re se t it t he w ay we wanted to,” said Shur mur, t he Buffs’ first-year offensive coordinator. “ The (recruiting staff ) went out and got us some new player s. We

5-10, 185; Micah Welch, 5-9, 205; Titus Bautista, 5-10, 185 (walk- on).

Key losses: D ylan Edwards (tr ansferred to Kansas State); Anthony Hankerson (trans ferred to Oregon State); Alton McCaskill (tr ansferred to Arizona State); Sy’veon Wilkerson (trans ferred to Georgia State)

Receivers

Returners with 2023 star ts: Jimmy Horn Jr., 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, Sr. (12 star ts); Travis Hunter, 6-1, 185, Jr. (9 star ts); Omarion Miller, 6-2, 195, So. (2 star ts).

Other returners: Jordan Onovughe, 6-2, 200, R-Fr.; Asaad Waseem, 6-11, 175, R-Fr.; Tager t Bardin, 6-0, 160, R-Fr. (walk-on); Gavin Marsh, 6-0, 170, R-Fr. (walk-on); Kaleb Mathis, 5-9,1 65, So. (walk-on)

Transfers: C ordalle Rus sell, 6-3, 180, R-Fr. ( TCU); Will Sheppard, 6-3, 198, Sr. ( Vanderbilt); Terrell Timmons Jr., 6-2, 195, Jr (Nor th Carolina State); LaJohntay Wes ter, 5-11, 170, Sr. (Florida Atlantic).

True freshmen: Kam Mikell, 6-1,

“We’ve got a lot of real ly f ine players and it’s fu n to get them ready to go.”

— Offen sive coordin ator Pat Shurmur

felt like we needed to go get more qualit y bi g men, a nd t hen we i nstalled an offense that works for us And so I feel li ke it’s a new st ar t moving forward.”

In a dd it ion to a new c oord inator, t he Bu ff s have a t ot al ly reva mped offensive line, a n entirely new group of r un ni ng backs a nd ti ght ends , and mi x of r et ur ners and newcomers at receiver

What hasn’t cha nged , however, is t hat Shedeu r Sa nder s is d rivin g the offen se The senior qua rterback, who is projec ted as a top10 pick in t he 202 5 NF L Draf t, is ba ck for his second year at CU a fter setting a school record for pa ssing yards in 2023 (3, 230)

Shedeu r is c om fort able hea ding into his second season in Boulde r, a nd he’s co mf or ta bl e wi th Shur mur.

180; Drelon Miller, 5-11, 205; Ronald Coleman, 5-9, 165 (walk- on); Carson Wes tbrook, 5-11, 175 (walk- on).

Key losses: Javon Antonio (gr aduated); Tar’varish Dawson (tr ansferred to Jacksonville State); Xavier Weaver (gr aduated)

Tight ends

Returners with 2023 star ts: None.

Other returners: Morgan Pearson, 6-1, 225, R-Fr.; Sav’ell Smalls, 6-3, 260, Jr.; Brady Kopetz, 6-4, 240, So. (walk-on); Antonio Pos adas, 6-5, 225, Jr. (walk-on)

Transfers: Sam Har t, 6-5, 255, Jr. (Ohio State); Charlie Williams, 6-4, 240, R-Fr. (UNLV, walk-on)

True freshmen: None.

Key losses: Michael Harrison (trans ferred to San Diego State)

Offensive line

Returners with 2023 star ts: Kareem Harden, 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, Sr. (5 star ts); Hank Zilinskas, 6-3,

“I feel li ke we unders ta nd a nd he understands my play ing st yle a little more, a nd he is able to hea r me,” Shedeur said of his relat ionship w ith Shur mur. “ You know, ever y quar terback se es a g ame di fferent . Ever y qu ar terback br in gs something different, special to the table. So you just got to make sure ever yb ody’s al ig ne d in t he s ame lens, and we’re all look ing through the same lens, which is the receivers, the O -linemen, the offensive coordinator, receivers.

“E ve ry bo dy h as t o be on the same page, and I feel like we have a st able g round to sta nd on ri ght now, s ta ble foundation t o wher e now we’re able t o build and build and build on top of that .”

Even w it h some i ns tabi lity b ehi nd t he scene s and a st ru gg li ng offensive line in 2023, the Buffs aver aged a r espe ct able 2 8. 2 points per ga me. Behi nd S hu rmur, Shede ur a nd r ei nf or cement s ac ro ss the board, they believe they c an be much bet ter.

“We’ ve g ot a lot of re al ly fi ne pl ayer s and it ’s f un t o ge t them ready to go,” Shurmur said.

285, So. (2 star ts).

Other returners: Tyler Brown, 6-3, 310, Sr.; Ben Reznik, 6-6, 295, Jr. (walk- on).

Transfers: Kahlil Benson, 6-6, 305, Jr. (Indiana); Ethan Boyd, 6-7, 325, Jr (Michigan State); Phillip Houston, 6-5, 250, Sr. (Florida International); Wyatt Hummel, 6-6, 315, Sr. ( Villanova); Tyler Johnson, 6-5, 325, Sr. (Hous ton); Pay ton Kirkland, 6-6, 350, Fr. ( Texas); Jus tin Mayers, 6-4, 320, Sr. (UTEP); Zach Owens, 6-6, 375, Fr. (Clemson); Kardell Thomas, 6-3, 310, Sr. (Florida A &M); Yakiri Walker, 6-2, 270, Jr. (C onnecticut).

True freshmen: Yahya Attia, 6-4, 330; Jordan Seaton, 6-5, 285; Cash Cleveland, 6-3, 300 (walk- on).

Key losses: Jack Bailey (tr ansferred to Nor thwe stern); Landon Bebee (graduated); Ger ad Christian-Lichtenhan (tr ansferred to Oregon State); Savion Washington (trans ferred to Syracuse); Van Wells (trans ferred to Oregon State); Jack Wilt y (tr ansferred to South Florida).

Buffs strive for better year on defense

New coordinator, severa l tra nsfers want to make a difference

By B ri an Howel l bh owell

@prair ie mountainmedi a.com

Ch idoz ie Nwa nk wo has playe d enou gh c ol le ge footbal l to k now what a qua lity defense looks like, especially up f ront .

When the senior defensive tack le looks at the Colorado defensive line, he sees a group that ’s ready to rock.

“I feel like there’s nobody under the ra dar, to be honest,” the Houston transfer w it h 32 c areer st ar ts sa id. “We all just some dawgs. We all gonna go get it. It’s gonna be a great season for ever ybody in my opinion.”

For the Buffs to have a better year on defen se , they nee d Nw an kwo an d hi s fe ll ow l in em en t o be dawgs.

MEE T THE DEFENSE

Defensive line

Returners with 2023 star ts: Shane C okes, 6-foot-3, 275 pounds, Sr. (9 star ts); Amari McNeill, 6-4, 295, Jr. (4 star ts).

Other returners: None.

Transfers: Anquin Barne s, 6-5, 315, Jr. (Alabama); Ray yan Buell, 6-3, 277, Sr. (Ohio); Taurean Car ter, 6-3, 303, Sr. (Arkans as); Chidozie Nwankwo, 5-11, 290, Sr. (Houston); Taw fiq Thomas, 6-4, 300, Jr. (Louisville)

True freshmen: Chijoke Nwank wo, 6-2, 260 (walk- on).

Key losses: Taijh Als ton (graduated); JJ Hawkins (tr ansferred to Marshall); Leonard Payne (gr aduated); Bishop Thomas (tr ansferred to Georgia State); Chazz Wallace (trans ferred to N.C State)

Edge defenders

Returners with 2023 star ts: Arden Walker, 6-2, 250, Jr. (4 star ts)

Other returners: Taje McC oy, 6-3, 230, R-Fr.; Tristan Marois, 6-6, 210,

CU ATHLE TICS — C OURTESY PHOTO

Colorado cornerback D J McKinney eyes the s tart of a play during a recent practice.

A ye ar a go , CU a llow ed 3 4. 8 points per game (124th nationa lly) and 453. 3 ya rds per game (130th).

The Bu ff s were 110 th a ga in st t he ru n (176.4 y ar ds p er g ame) a nd

Jr. (walk- on).

Transfers: B J Green, 6-1, 270, Sr. (Arizona State); Dayon Haye s, 6-3, 265 Sr. (Pittsburgh); Samuel Okunlola, 6-4, 245, So. (Pittsburgh); Keaton Wade, 6-4, 245, Jr. (Kentucky); Nikhil Webb Walker, 6-6, 275, So. (New Mexico State); Quency Wiggins, 6-5, 265, So. (LSU).

True freshmen: Brandon Davis-Swain, 6-4, 260

Key losses: Jordan Domineck (graduated); Deeve Harris (transferred to Marshall); Khairi Manns (trans ferred to James Madison); Derrick McLendon (gr aduated)

Inside linebackers

Returners with 2023 star ts: LaVonta Bentley, 6-feet, 230 pounds, Sr. (8 star ts); Jeremiah Brown, 6-2, 225, Sr. (1 star t); Brendan Gant, 6-2, 200, Sr. (1 star t); Trevor Woods, 6-2, 205, Sr. (9 star ts).

Other returners: Bo Simmons-Lapenna, 6-1, 225, So. (walk-on)

Transfers: Johnny Chaney Jr., 6-1, 235, Sr. (Florida A&M); Nikhai

12 7t h in p as si ng y ar ds a llow ed (276.9).

In the offseason, head coa ch Deion Sa nder s hi red Robert L iv in gst on a s de fensive co or di nator to help i mprove e ach of t ho se numbers A first-time coordinator, Livingston ha s spent the pa st 12 years with the N FL’s Cincinnati Bengals.

CU a lso upgr aded w it h a ho st of tra nsfers on the defensive line, at l inebacker and in t he sec ondar y. S o fa r, t he playe rs a re r esp on di ng t o Li vi ng st on a nd the de fens e ha s ha d a go od o ffseason.

“Hun ger,” cornerba ck DJ McKin ne y sa id of what he sees out of the defense.

Co rn er ba ck P re st on H od ge adde d, “ We’re al l ru nn in g to t he ba ll. We seek ball, get ball.”

The ke y wi ll b e the de fensive fr ont, which w as b ol st er ed by 11 transfers including Nwankwo, former Ar iz ona St at e st ar B J Green and former P it tsburg h pa ss r usher s Da yo n Ha ye s an d Sa mu el

Hill-Green, 6-2, 232, Jr. (Charlot te); Jaylen Wes ter, 6-0, 205, Jr (Florida Atlantic)

True freshmen: Kyeran Garcia, 6-2, 220; Gage Goldberg, 6-0, 210 (walk- on); Trenton Hood, 5-11, 230 (walk- on).

Key losses: Mar vin Ham II (tr ansferred to Arkansas State); Demouy Kennedy (in trans fer por tal); Juwan Mitchell (gr aduated)

Cornerbacks

Returners with 2023 star ts: Tr avis Hunter, 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Jr. (9 star ts).

Other returners: Isaiah Hardge, 5-10, 160, R-Fr.; Braden Keith, 5-10, 175, So. (walk-on); Nahmier Robinson, 5-9, 170, R-Fr. (walk-on); Nathaniel Watson, 5-10,170, So. (walk- on).

Transfers: Pre ston Hodge, 6-0, 195, Sr. (Libert y); C olton Hood, 5-11, 188, R-Fr. (Auburn); D J McKinney, 6-2, 190, So. (Oklahoma State); Ivan Yates, 6-0, 180, Jr (Furman)

True freshmen: Ebenezer Bouzi, 6-1, 180; Malakai Murphy, 6-1, 190;

Okunlola , among others

“We all know it star ts up front,” ed ge c oa ch V incent D ancy s aid. “A nd we’ve just got to do a great job of underst anding the wea kness of the offense and understanding that we go as the defense goes. T hey’ve be en doi ng a g re at job of it . The new guys have come in and bought into the system, bought in to their roles, and a ll they’ve been doing is just contr ibuting to what we need up f ront .”

Across the boa rd on defense, the Buffs feature more exper ience and depth than a yea r ago. T hat could give L iv ingston and his sta ff more option s as t he y plan t o ta ilor t he de fe ns e to t he s tr en gt hs o f the players.

“It’s ou r job as c oa ches t o ge t these guys rea dy, whet her they ’re a one, a t wo, or a t hree ,” L iv in gst on s aid. “And then , al l th in gs considered, if everybody ’s hea lthy, le t’s put the be st 11 on t he field. It g iv es u s th e be st c ha nc e to win.”

Angel Lopez, 6-1, 165 (walk- on); Kole Mathis, 5-8, 140 (walk- on).

Key losses: Kyndrich Breedlove (trans ferred to Purdue); Omarion C ooper (tr ansferred to Florida State); Cormani McClain (tr ansferred to Florida); Jahquez Robinson (trans ferred to Auburn)

Safeties

Returners with 2023 star ts: Shilo Sanders, 6-0, 195, Sr. (11 star ts); Cam’Ron Silmon- Cr aig, 5-10, 185, Sr. (10 star ts); Car ter Stoutmire, 5-11, 205, So. (1 star t)

Other returners: Travis Jay, 6-2, 205, Sr.; Ben Finne seth, 6-2, 205, Jr. (walk- on).

Transfers: RJ Johnson, 6-2, 180, Fr. (Arkansas); Savion Riley, 6-2, 202, So. ( Vanderbilt); Herman Smith III, 6-2, 190, Sr. (Jackson State); Ian Mas sey, 6-1, 205, Sr. (Oregon State; walk-on)

True freshmen: None.

Key losses: Jaden Milliner-Jones (trans ferred to SMU); Myles Slusher (entered trans fer por tal); Rodrick Ward (gr aduated)

Va ssett, others work ing towa rd consistency

With key players back , Buffs hope for improvement

By B ri an Howel l bh owell

Up on h is a rr iv al a s Colora do’s he ad footbal l coach in Dec ember of 2022, Deion Sanders made it a priority for the Buffaloes to be good on special teams

CU d id n’t have a n elit e specia l teams unit in 2023, but it was solid, and the key players are back which could allow the Buffs to take a step forward this year.

“W hen I se e the spec ia l te am s … I think (punter Ma rk Vassett) is a da rned pro,” Sanders said. “And (A leja nd ro) Mata t hat don’t miss, and Jace Feely a nd those g uys that they c an’t wait for their time They unders ta nd s pe ci al t ea ms mea n they ’re special.”

The leader of the group might be Vassett, a senior punter who has received some presea son recognition for A ll-Big 12 honors.

Va sset t, who had t wo good seasons at Louisv ille before transferri ng t o CU, aver aged 4 4.4 ya rd s per punt last year for the Buffs. He landed 22 of his 65 punts inside the opponent s’ 20-ya rd line.

Grow in g up playing Australia n footba ll, Va sset t developed exceptional skills in being able to pin the ba ll where he wants it , and that became a weapon for CU last year — even i f the de fense didn’t a lw ay s take advantage of the field position.

Va ss et t sa id he’s st ri vi ng f or bett er c onsist ency w it h his punt s while also working on his craf t as a holder for pla ce k icks.

“T hat’s something I have a lot of pr ide in, as wel l,” he said. “ That ’s points on the line a nd I got ta c atch the ba ll a nd put it down on the right spot where my finger was. So yeah, it ’s not a s ea sy a s it looks, actual ly, but I put a lot of t ime into that a s well.”

Va sset t will once again hold for either Mata or Feely, both of which are juniors who are capable of winning the job

Colorado kicker Jace Feely attempts a field goal during the Buff aloe s’ scrimmage on Aug. 10 at Folsom Field

A yea r ago, Feely won t he job comi ng out o f pr es ea son ca mp and went 4 -for-5 on field goals in the first two games — with the lone miss being blocked He then missed his first at tempt in Week 3 against Colorado State, and Sanders turned to Mat a. Feely attempted just one field goal t he r es t of t he sea son, missing that k ick to finish the year 4-for-7.

Ma ta , me an wh il e, w en t 10for-12 on the se ason , includ in g a ga me -w in ni ng 4 3-ya rd field goal to b eat Ar izona St at e in Week 6. He h it a c areer-long 47-ya rd field

goa l in the fina le at Uta h.

Mata a lso kicked for Sanders at Jack son State in 2022, going 12-for13 In h is c ol legiat e ca re er, Mata is 21-for-21 i nside 44 y ar ds , and 1-for- 4 f rom 4 4 and beyond.

La st yea r, Feely sha re d kickoff duties w ith Cr istiano Pa la zzo, who is a lso back.

The Buffs will have a new snapper af ter Cameron Warchuck transfe rr ed t o Wa sh in gt on . Ca md en Dempsey and Gabe L anders bot h re tu rn a ft er b ei ng b ac kups l as t year, while the Buffs added Arizona transfer K ameron Hawk ins.

Returners with 2023 star ts: PK

Jace Feely, 6-foot, 215 pounds, Jr.; PK Alejandro Mata, 5-9, 190, Jr.; P Mark Vas sett, 6-4, 225, Sr.

Other returners: SN Camden Dempsey, 6-2, 255, Jr. (walk-on); SN Gabe Landers, 5-11, 205, So. (walk- on); PK Cris tiano Palazzo, 5-9, 185, Jr. (walk-on).

Transfers: PK Daniel Gerlach, 5-8, 150, So. (Colby C ollege; walk- on); SN Kameron Hawkins, 5-11, 220, Sr. (Arizona; walk- on).

True freshmen: PK Alexander Stoyanovich, 5-9, 165 (walk- on).

Key losses: SN Cameron Warchuck (trans ferred to Washington) MEET T

CU ATHLE TICS — C OURTESY PHOTO

BIG 12 F OO TBALL MEDI A PRESEASON POLL

1. Utah (20 firs t-place votes), 906 points; 2. Kansas State (19), 889; 3. Oklahoma State (14), 829; 4. Kans as (5), 772; 5. Arizona (3), 762; 6. Iowa State, 661; 7. Wes t Virginia, 581; 8. C entr al Florida, 551; 9 Texas Tech, 532; 10. TCU, 436; 11. Colorado, 400; 12. Baylor, 268; 13. BYU, 215; 14. Cincinnati, 196; 15. Hous ton, 157; 16. Arizona State, 141

Preseason All-Big 12 football team

(selected by media; * unanimous choice)

O ffense

QB — Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, Sr.

RB — Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State, Jr.*; Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech, Sr

FB — Stevo Klotz, Iowa State, Sr.

WR — Te tairoa McMillan, Arizona, Jr.; Kobe H udson, UCF, Sr.; Jayden Higgins, Iowa State, Sr.; Brennan Presley, Oklahoma State, Sr.

TE — Br ant Kuithe, Utah, Sr.

OL — Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona, Jr.; Luke Kandr a, Cincinnati, Sr.; Dalton C ooper, Oklahoma State, Sr.; Joe Michalski, Oklahoma State, Sr.; Wyat t Milum, Wes t Virginia, Sr.

PK — Tyler Loop, Arizona, Sr.

KR /PR — Drae McCray, Texas Tech, Sr Defense

DL — BJ Green II, Colorado, Sr. ; Tyler Bat ty, BYU, Sr.; Dontay C orleone, Cincinnati, Jr.; Lee Hunter, UCF, Jr.; Junior Tafuna, Utah, Sr.

LB — Jacob Manu, Arizona, Jr.; Nick Martin, Oklahoma State, Jr.; C ollin Oliver, Oklahoma State, Sr.

DB — Travis Hunter, Colorado, Jr. ; Tacario Davis, Arizona, Jr.; Jeremiah C ooper, Iowa State, Jr.; C obee Br yant, Kansas, Sr.; Mello Dotson, Kans as, Sr.

P — Jack Bouwmee ster, Utah, Jr

O ffensive player of the year: Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State

Defensive player of the year: Tr avis Hunter, Colorado

Newcomer of the Year: KJ Je fferson, UCF (quar terback)

CONFERENCE PREVIEW

Orig inal member back in bigger Big 1 2

By Stephen H awki ns

Th e Assoc iated Pre ss

The Bi g 12 h as g ot ten bi gger even a ft er t he depar tu re s of t wo national cha mpions, with a westwa rd e xp an sion a nd a “ Pr ime” addition a mong the league’s four newcomers.

Or ig inal Big 1 2 memb er C olora do ret ur ns a ft er 1 3 se ason s in the Pa c-12 that included only two wi nn in g re cord s. T he Bu ff aloe s are going into their second season with Deion Sanders as their coach. They lost ei ght of t heir last nine games af ter a 3- 0 star t for Coach Pr ime, who has reloa ded through the por ta l again this sea son.

Mi ke Gundy is goi ng i nt o hi s 20th sea son as 17th-ra nked Oklahoma S tate c oa ch a nd has b een pa rt of all the Big 12’s c on fi gurations. T here was t he ori gina l 12te am set up, then 10 te am s with round-robi n sche du le s be fore 14 la st yea r and now 16 w it h additions from the dismembered Pac12 at the sa me time Red River riva ls Oklahoma and Texa s left for the SEC.

“A s we move forward, there’s goin g to be a lot of pa rity I shou ld say more par it y in c ol le ge footba ll tha n there ha s been over the la st few years,” said Gundy, whose Cowboys were Big 1 2 ru nners-up la st sea son. “I think that we’ve got a number of teams in this leag ue that have an oppor tunity to ma ke a move nat iona lly. W he ther a nybo dy ca n ta ke o ver a nd d om ina te f or a n ex tended p er io d of time would be ha rd to tell at this point.”

Four th-ran ked Texa s, the 2005 na ti on al c ha mp , is g on e af te r bookend Big 12 titles — in the inaugural 1996 season and its four th la st year to make the College Football Playoff. Only No. 16 Ok lahoma has more, winning the leag ue in 14 of the 28 sea sons.

Ne wc omer Uta h, w it h co ac h Ky le W hi tt in gh am a ls o in h is 20 th sea son, is the leag ue’s hig hest-ranked team in T he A ssociated Press Top 25 pre season poll. T he No. 12 Ute s re tu rn qua rt erba ck Ca m Rising, a seventh-year senior who missed last season recover ing from a k nee injur y.

Th is i s the four th lea gue for

Wh it ti ng ha m with t he Ute s. He wa s pa rt o f thei r WAC days a s an a ssista nt , and ha s been in the Mounta in Wes t, Pac -1 2 and now Big 12 a s hea d coa ch.

“It’s a tr an sition we ma de b efore, although when we went to the Pac-12, we were a G5 school tr ying to come up a level, which there was a little bit of a curve there that we ha d to endure,” he said. “ We feel like we’ ve got a good rost er r ight now, one through 85, and rea dy to compete in this leag ue.”

Rounding out the league

No. 18 K ansas State, No. 22 Kansa s, Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma St at e and Te xa s Te ch have be en pa rt of the Bi g 12 t hrou ghout it s entire history TCU and West Virginia joined in 2012 , af ter a twoye ar s pa n when t he lea gue lo st Colora do, Missour i, Nebra sk a and Texa s A& M.

No 21 A ri zona a nd A ri zona State ar rived from the Pac-12 with Colorado a nd Uta h.

BY U, C incinnat i, Houst on a nd UCF all had losing records in their Bi g 12 debut s la st s ea son. T he y were a c ombi ned 8-28 i n conference play, w ith only four of those wi ns a ga in st t ea ms out side t hat quar tet.

New Big 12 QBs

Sh ed eu r Sa nd er s we nt f ro m

Ja ck son St at e to C olor ado with his da d, and threw for 3,230 yards

with 27 touchdow ns a nd three interc eption s. Noa h Fi fita , a thirdyear sophomore at Ar izona, set a school record completing 72.4% of his pa sses for 2 ,869 yards a nd 25 TDs.

Ri si ng i s ba ck i n the Bi g 12 , wher e he r ed sh ir te d as a f re shma n at Texa s in 2018 be fore going to Uta h.

UCF’s KJ Jefferson and Baylor ’s Dequan Finn are dual-threat QBs who transfer red into the Big 12 after five sea sons elsewhere Jefferson th rew for 7, 911 ya rd s and 67 TD s and ra n for 1,876 ya rd s and 21 T Ds in 44 games for A rk ansa s. Fi nn a cc ou nt ed for 8 ,914 y ar ds (7,074 passing/1,840 r ushing) and 88 scores (63 pa ssing/25 r ushing) at Toledo.

Notable games

Ar iz on a pl ay s it s fi rs t Bi g 12 ga me at Ka nsas S tate on Fr id ay, Sept . 13. Utah’s conference opener — af ter an e arlier g ame ag ai ns t Baylor t ha t won’ t count in t he st andi ng s — is S ept. 21 at Oklahoma State

The Sunflower State showdow n Oc t. 26 could match top quar terba ck s Ja lon Da niel s for Ka ns as and Aver y John son for K- St at e. BY U is at Utah on Nov. 9, the first time their Holy War is a conference ga me s ince t he Mou nt ai n We st days of 2010, before BYU went independent for 12 seasons.

MA RK J. TERRILL — THE A SS OCIATED PRESS FILE

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders drops back to pas s during the firs t half against UCL A on Oct 28 in Pasadena, Calif

TRAVIS HUNTE R

‘He is a unicorn’

Buffs’ Hunter a rgua bly the best , most unique player in college football

By B ri an Howel l

bh owell

@prair

ie mountainmedi a.com

There wa s a time, deca de s ago, when c ollege football players routinely c ontributed on offense a nd defense.

In C olorado hist or y, t here have be en numer ou s two-way player s, including By ron “W hizzer ” White, who starred on offense, defense and special teams in the mid-1930s. Joe Romi g fi nished six th i n Heisma n Trophy vot in g in 1 96 1 while playing offensive g uard and linebacker.

In today ’s game, however, Trav is Hunter is an a nomaly, a nd the junior cor nerback/receiver might be the best player in the country this year. He racked up 721 yards a s a re ceiver a nd t hr ee i nt er cept ions on defense last year and could top both of those numbers this year if healthy.

On pre se as on w at ch l is ts f or si x major aw ar ds , includ in g the Jim Thor pe Awa rd (top defe nsive ba ck) and the Bi le tn iko ff Awa rd

(t op r ec ei ver), Hunte r ha s be en tabbed a pre season A ll-A merica n by numer ou s publ ic at ions . And, he ’s proje ct ed t o be one o f the fi rs t player s sele ct ed i n the 2025 NFL Draft

Wi nner o f the Pa ul Hor nu ng Award a s the most versatile player in t he c ou nt ry for 2 02 3, Hunter might be the most versatile player in the game over the past 40 years. The list of those in the conversation is short , but it include s Pro Footba ll Hal l of Famer s Ch amp Ba iley and Deion Sanders — now CU ’s head coa ch.

Sa nder s know s he’s one of the best athletes in history, but didn’t hesitate in saying, “Travis is bet ter. At the age and stage, he’s bet ter.”

On t he field, t here’s not muc h Hu nt er c an’t do, but he won’t often talk about it publicly

Despite being arguably the best player in the countr y, Hunter hasn’t done a pre ss c onferenc e sinc e the 2023 opener at TCU. This summer, he was scheduled to be in La s Vegas for Big 12 media day in July and on the podium for CU ’s fall spor ts media day on Aug 9, but skipped out on both.

Pl en ty c an b e le ar ne d ab ou t Hu nt er, howe ver, by li st en in g to those who are w ith him every day.

C oach Prime: “Not only (is he a great player), he’s a good human being. He’s got one of the highes t GPAs on the team. He’s a great human being, and he can play. Char acter is second to none. That’s why I don’t mind fishing with him It’s jus t a delight to have caught him coming straight out of high school, and he s tayed and endured the tes t of time. Travis is different. He’s a phenomenal athle te. Proud of the kid, on and off the field.”

Defensive coordinator Rober t Livingston when asked if Hunter is capable of playing in the NFL now: “I think Travis could do any thing he wants to do. I’ve talked about it. I think Travis is a unicorn. We had spring academic meeting and Travis goe s up there as a 4.0 student. Travis

take s every play in practice. I think Travis can do anything. So yeah, I don’t want to put a (target) on his back or any thing like that but yeah, I think Tr avis can do jus t about any thing he wants to do.”

Receivers coach Jason Phillips on what it’s like coaching Hunter: “Pleasurable. I mean, one of the mos t pleasur able guys, one of the greates t guys I’ve ever been around as a coach. Jus t having a player like that, that understands the game; basically, he understands your position, he unders tands what you’re tr ying to get out of him and he wants more. He comes to work every day looking for more. I think the bigges t que stion the scouts have is, ‘How do you coach him?’ And my answer to those guys, ‘Coach him, because he’s

coachable.’ He’s a joy to be around. He’s a great kid on the field, off the field. He’s great for the room. Everybody understands and realize s his talent, so everybody wants to play to that level. It’s been great. It’s been remarkable.”

Quar terback Shedeur Sanders: “Turn on the film. You see what he doe s. I mean it’s nothing I can even say. There’s nothing I can say. Everything that you see is basically who he is.”

Safety Shilo Sanders: “I think his decision making (is special). Football is a really mental game. There’s not really much physical difference bet ween 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 (seconds in the 40-yard sprint), so it comes down to decision making. Some guys have great decision makin g instincts and that’s what separ ates them.”

“Turn on the f il m. You see what he does. I mea n it’s noth in g I can even say. There’s nothi ng I can say. Ever ythi ng that you see is basical ly who he is.”

WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOU T THE MO ST UNIQUE PLAYER AT C U IN DECADES

CU ATHLE TICS — C OURTESY PHOTO

Colorado cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter is lis ted on pre season watch lists for six major college football awards.

A glance at each of Colorado’s 12 opponents this season

North Dakota St .

Head coach: Tim Polasek, 1st season

2023 season: 11-4, 5-3 Missouri Valley; reached FCS semifinals Series with CU: First meeting

The Game

Who: NDSU Bison at C olor ado Buff aloe s

When: Thursday, Aug. 29, 6 p.m. (T V: ESPN)

Where: Folsom Field in Boulder

5 Guys to Watch

DE Dylan Hendricks: Had a breakout season in 2023, earning firs t-team all-conference honors He finished second on the team in tackle s for loss (10.5) and sacks (6.5). He’s the top returner in both of those categorie s. He also had 40 tackle s and three pas s breakups.

LB Logan Kopp: Earned firs t-team all- conference honors last season. He was second on the team in tackle s with 85. He also had 7.5 tackle s for loss, 3.5 sacks, three intercep-

Nebraska

Head coach: Mat t Rhule, 2nd season (5-7; 52-50 career)

2023 season: 5-7, 3-6 Big Ten Series with CU: Nebraska leads 49-21-2

The Game

Who: C olor ado Buff aloe s at Nebr aska C ornhuskers

When: Saturday, Sept. 7, 5:30 p.m. MT ( TV: NBC)

Where: Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.

5 Guys to Watch

DL Jimari Butler: He led the C ornhuskers in tackles for loss (8.5) and sacks (5.5) las t year, earning All-Big Ten honor able mention. He also had 34 tackle s and t wo pas s breakups

RB Gabe Ervin Jr: A year ago, he got off to a solid s tart (196 yards, 1 TD, 5.2 yards per carry) through the firs t three games, but then suffered a hip injur y and mis sed the last nine games. Healthy again, he

North Dakota quarterback Cam Miller throws agains t South Dakota State on Jan. 8, 2023, in Frisco, Texas

tions, four pas s breakups, three QB hurrie s and t wo forced fumbles

QB Cam Miller: Back for a fifth season, Miller has s tarted 38 consecutive games for the Bison He’s coming off the bes t year of his career, pos ting personal bes ts in

DAVID Z ALUB OWSKI THE A SS OCIATED PRESS

Nebr aska head coach Mat t Rhule yells from the sideline in the second half against C olor ado on Sept. 9 in Boulder.

could be the leader of the backfield.

TE Thomas Fidone II: Las t year, he finished second on the team in receptions (25) and receiving yards (260) and led the team with four TD receptions. He could be one of

completions (208), attempts (289), comple tion percentage (.720), passing yards (2,688), touchdown passes (19) and rushing yards (629). He also r an for 13 touchdowns and threw only four interceptions.

the bet ter tight ends in the Big Ten this season.

ROV Isaac Gifford: Led the team with 86 tackle s las t season (35 more than anyone else) He also had 6.5 tackle s for loss, an interception and eight pas s breakups.

QB Dylan Raiola: The true fre shman was a 5-s tar recruit in the 2024 clas s and r ated by 247Spor ts as the No. 2 quar terback recruit in the country. He was committed to Ohio State for about a year before switching to Georgia in May of 2023 and then flipping to Nebraska just before signing day in December.

Good to Know

• Nebr aska has gone seven consecutive seasons without a bowl appear ance. It’s the longe st drought for the progr am since a seven-year run from 1955-61. The Huskers have also had seven s tr aight losing seasons, the longes t s tretch since nine in a row from 1941- 49 From 1962-2016, Nebraska failed to reach a bowl jus t four times

QB Cole Pay ton: Although he is NDSU’s backup quarterback, he’s also one of the top rushers on the team and sometimes used like New Orleans Saints quarterback / utilit y player Taysom Hill. Las t year, he threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns, while also r anking third on the team with 615 rushing yards and t ying Miller for the team lead with 13 rushing touchdowns.

S Cole Wisniewski: Back for a bonus year because of the COVID pandemic, Wisniewski was a consensus FCS firs t-team All-American last year and firs t-team all-confe rence per former He led all Division I players (FBS and FCS) with eight interceptions and also led the Bison with 92 tackle s, while adding five pass breakups and t wo tackles for loss

Good to Know

• NDSU is 9-4 all-time against FBS teams, including a six-game winning s treak from 2010-16. The Bison have played one FBS opponent since 2016, however, losing at Arizona, 31-28, on Sept. 17, 2022.

2024 C OLOR ADO BUFFALOE S FOOTBA LL S CHEDULE

• Aug. 29 (Thursday)

NORTH DAKOTA ST., 6 p.m. (ESPN)

• Sept. 7 (Saturday) at Nebraska, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)

• Sept. 14 (Saturday) at C olor ado State, 5:30 p.m. (CBS)

• Sept. 21 (Saturday) BAYLOR, TBA

• Sept. 28 (Saturday) at C entr al Florida, TBA

• Oct. 12 (Saturday)

KANSAS STATE, TBA

• Oct. 19 (Saturday) at Arizona, TBA

• Oct. 26 (Saturday)

CINCINNATI, TBA (ESPN Net works)

• Nov. 9 (Saturday) at Texas Tech, TBA

• Nov. 16 (Saturday) UTAH, TBA

• Nov. 23 (Saturday) at Kansas, TBA

• Nov. 29 (Friday)

OKLAHOMA STATE, 10 a.m. (ABC)

LM OTERO — THE A SS OCIATED PRESS

Colorado State

Head coach: Jay Nor vell, 3rd season (8-16; 41-42 career)

2023 season: 5-7, 3-5 Mountain

We st

Series with CU: Buff s lead 6822-2

The Game

Who: C olor ado Buff aloe s at C olor ado State Rams

When: Saturday, Sept. 14, 5:30 p.m. MT ( TV: CBS)

Where: Canvas Stadium in For t Collins

5 Guys to Watch

QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi: In his firs t year as a s tarter in 2023, he threw for 3,460 yards and 22 touchdowns, while completing 62.1% of his pas se s. He also had 16 interceptions — tied for the second-mos t nationally — but only five in the las t six games of the season.

WR /PR Tor y Hor ton: One of the top receivers in the country, he caught 96 passes for 1,136 yards and eight touchdowns las t year. In t wo seasons with the Rams, he’s caught 167 passes for 2,267 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also aver aged 13.4 yards on p unt returns,

including a 79-yard touchdown las t year

S Jack Howell: Earned firs t-team all- conference honors las t season after leading the Rams with 114 tackle s. He also had an interception and three pas s breakups. In 2022, he led C SU with 108 tackle s — the most of any defensive back in the country

RB Justin Marshall: As a true freshman las t year, he didn’t play until the las t three games, but wound up with 311 yards and t wo touchdowns on 57 at tempts He became the firs t player at C SU since 1974 to rush for at leas t 100 yards in his debut (119). He’ll have to fight for the s tarting job but cer tainly has a lot of potential.

LB Chase Wilson: A firs t-time star ter in 2023, he earned second-team all-conference honors. Wilson was second on the team with 107 tackle s, including 8.5 tackle s for loss, 3.5 sacks and three pass breakups.

Good to Know

• C SU’s current s treak of six consecutive losing seasons is the longes t s treak for the progr am since eight s tr aight losing campaigns from 1967-1974

TO M R . SMEDES — THE A SS OCIATED PRESS

Colorado State quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi throws against Nevada on Oct. 7, 2022, in Reno, Nev

Baylor

Head coach: Dave Ar anda, 5th season (23-25)

2023 season: 3-9, 2-7 Big 12 Series with CU: Buff s lead 9-7

The Game

Who: Baylor Bears at C olor ado Buff aloe s

When: Saturday, Sept. 21, time TBA Where: Folsom Field in Boulder

5 Guys to Watch

WR Monaray Baldwin: Baylor’s leading receiver las t year, he caught 38 passes for 623 yard and four touchdowns. He was one of the top threats in 2022, as well, with 33 catche s for 565 yards and four touchdowns

QB DeQuan Finn: A trans fer from Toledo, where he played for five years. During his three seasons as a s tarter, he completed 60.4% of his pas se s for 6,984 yards, 63 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He also r an for 1,695 yards and 25 touchdowns.

CB Caden Jenkins: One of the top

freshmen in the country las t year, he had 37 tackle s, three interceptions and t wo fumble recoverie s — one of which he returned for a touchdown.

LB Matt Jones: Led Baylor with 82 tackle s and 11.5 tackle s for loss las t year, earning All-Big 12 honorable mention. He also had three sacks and five pas s breakups. He’s s tarted all 24 game s the pas t t wo seasons and has 33 star ts in the las t three years, r acking up 198 tackle s, 23 TFL and 7.5 sacks in that time.

RB Dominic Richardson: In his firs t season at Baylor, he led the Bears in rushing with 519 yards on 125 carrie s (4.2 per carry) and one touchdown. He added 21 catche s for 152 yards and a touchdown. In three years at Oklahoma State, he rushed for 1,139 yards on 272 carrie s (4.2 per carry) with 15 touchdowns.

Good to Know

• Las t year, Baylor finished las t in the Big 12 in scoring defense, allowing 33.3 points per game. The Bears also tied for las t in scoring offense, at 23.1 points per game.

PHEL AN M . EBENH ACK — THE A SS OCIATED PRESS Baylor cornerback Caden Jenkins, right, defends against C entr al Florida receiver Xavier Townsend on Sept. 30 in Orlando, Fla.

Cent ra l Florida

Head coach: Gus Malzahn, 4th season (24-16; 101-54 career)

2023 season: 6-7, 3-6 Big 12; Los t to Georgia Tech in Gasparilla Bowl, 30-17

Series with CU: firs t meeting

The Game

Who: C olor ado Buff aloe s at UCF Knights

When: Saturday, Sept. 28, TBA Where: FBC Mor tgage Stadium in Orlando, Fla

5 Guys to Watch

RB RJ Har vey: Rushed for 1,416 yards las t year and his 108.9 yards per game r anked 10th nationally. Only five players scored more rushing touchdowns than his 16.

WR Kobe Hudson: He’s coming off the bes t year of his career, as he caught 44 passes for 900 yards and eight touchdowns las t year. A fifth-year senior who played his firs t two seasons at Auburn, he’s caught 134 passes for 2,191 yards and 19 touchdowns in his career.

DT Lee Hunter: The 320-pounder is a fourth-year junior who was a firs t-time s tarter las t year. He was All-Big 12 honorable mention after posting 69 tackle s (third on team), 11 tackle s for loss (second) and three sacks (tied for third). C ould be one of the top D -linemen in the Big 12 this year.

QB KJ Jefferson: A s tarter at Arkans as the pas t three seasons, Je fferson is one of the bes t quarterbacks in the country. Las t year, he threw for 2,107 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while also rushing for 447 yards and two score s.

DE Malachi L awrence: After playing sparingly during his firs t t wo years at UCF, he bus ted loose las t year. Appearing in all 13 game s, he was second on the team in sacks (7.5) and third in tackles for loss (10.5). He had 27 tackle s and six QB hurries and earned All-Big 12 honorable mention.

Good to Know

• This will be Malzahn’s 14th season as a head coach. He’s led his teams to bowl games in each of his firs t 13 seasons as a head coach (Arkans as State in 2012, Auburn from 20132020 and UCF from 2021-23). Las t year was his firs t losing season as a head coach

Ka nsas State

Head coach: Chris Klieman, 6th season (39-24; 108-30 career)

2023 season: 9-4, 6-3 Big 12; beat N.C. State in Pop Tar ts Bowl, 28-19

Series with CU: CU leads 45-20-1

The Game

Who: Kansas State Wildcats at Colorado Buff aloe s

When: Saturday, Oct. 12, time TBA Where: Folsom Field in Boulder

5 Guys to Watch

RB DJ Giddens: In the running back-rich Big 12, Giddens wasn’t even firs t or second team all- conference las t year, but he was 27th nationally with 94.3 yards rushing yards per game. As a sophomore last year, he r acked up 1,226 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, while also catching 29 passes for 323 yards and three score s.

QB Avery Johnson: Made his firs t star t in the Pop Tar ts Bowl, leading the Wildcats to a win against North Carolina State (178 passing yards, 2 TDs; 71 rushing yards, 1 TD). On the year, he threw for 479 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions, while also rushing for 296 yards and seven touchdowns. He r an for 90 yards and five touchdowns in a win against Texas Tech.

LB Austin Moore: K-State’s leading tackler the las t t wo seasons. Last year, he had 63 stops and also

Ar izon a

Head coach: Brent Brennan, 1st season (34-48 career)

2023 season: 10-3, 7-2 Pac-12; beat Oklahoma in Alamo Bowl, 38-24

Series with CU: C olor ado leads 16-10

The Game

Who: C olor ado Buff aloe s at Arizona Wildcats

When: Saturday, Oct. 19, time TBA

Where: Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz

5 Guys to Watch

CB Tacario Davis: Finished second in the Pac-12 last year with 15 pass breakups (six more than those who tied for third on the lis t) and earned

Kans as State quarterback Avery Johnson throws before a game against Baylor on Nov. 11 in Manhattan, Kan.

led the team with 12.5 tackle s for loss. He added 1.5 sacks and was named second-team All-Big 12. In 2022, he had 87 tackle s and 10 TFL s. The former walk- on has star ted 27 consecutive game s.

DE Brendan Mott: A key player on the edge, he s tarted all 13 game s last year, finishing with 27 tackle s, 4.5 tackle s for loss, one sack and two pas s breakups. He received All-Big 12 honorable mention In 2022, he had six sacks, ranking sixth in the Big 12.

S Marques Sigle: Potentially one of the top defensive backs in the

second-team all- conference honors. He also had 25 tackle s and one interception

QB Noah Fifita: Came off the bench early las t year, but when he got the s tarting job he didn’t let go. He was the Pac-12 offensive fre shman of the year, completing 72.4% of his pas se s (school record) for 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Arizona went 7-2 in his nine s tarts.

LB Jacob Manu: As a sophomore last year, he led the Pac-12 in tackle s with 116 and earned firs t-team all- conference honors. He also had 9.5 tackle s for loss, 6.5 sacks, 13 quar terback hurries and an interception.

WR Tetairoa McMillan: C aught 90 passes for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns las t year, averaging 15.6 yards per catch and earning

Bi g 12 this season, he tied for the team lead with 63 tackle s las t year. He also had nine pas s breakups, one interception and three tackles for loss. A former trans fer from North Dakota State, he received all- conference honor able mention last year.

Good to Know

• CU and Kansas State firs t became conference rivals in 1948 in the Big Seven. They played every year from 1948-2010 as rivals in the Big Seven (1948-57), Big Eight (1958-95) and Big 12 (19962010).

third-team All-American honors from the Associated Pre ss. In t wo seasons of college football, both at Arizona, he has 129 catche s for 2,104 yards and 18 touchdowns

DE Tre Smith: A trans fer from San Jose State, he earned firs t-team All-Mountain Wes t honors las t season as a redshir t sophomore. He had 66 tackle s, 9.5 tackle s for loss and 6.5 sacks. He had 89 tackle s and 9.5 sacks in his collegiate career

Good to Know

• Former CU receiver Montana Lemonious- Cr aig returns for his second year with the Wildcats. A s tarter las t year, he caught 28 passes for 296 yard and three touchdowns. In three years at CU, he had 33 catche s for 482 yards and five touchdowns.

CH ARLIE RIEDEL — THE A SS OCIATED PRESS

Ci ncin nati

Head coach: Scott Sat ter field, 2nd season (3-9; 79-57 career)

2023 season: 3-9, 1-8 Big 12

Series with CU: C olor ado leads 1-0

The Game

Who: Cincinnati Bearcats at C olorado Buff aloe s

When: Saturday, Oct. 26, time TBA Where: Folsom Field in Boulder

5 Guys to Watch

DL Dontay C orleone: The top defender for the Bearcats, he was second-team All-Big 12 last year after pos ting 39 tackle s, 6.5 tackle s for loss and three sacks. He has 83 tackle s and six sacks in t wo seasons. His s tatus is unclear, though, as it was announced this pas t week that he is out inde finitely after being treated for blood clots in his lungs

WR X zavier Henderson: Led the Bearcats in catche s (58) and receiving yards ( 782) las t season, earning all-conference honor able mention. He also averaged 17.7 yards on kickoff returns. From 202022, he p layed at Florida, catching 73 passes for 835 yards and five touchdowns

RB Corey Kiner: Had a breakout season in 2023, rushing for 1,047 yards and five touchdowns on 192 carrie s (5.5 yards per carry). In his career, he has 1,733 yards and 12 touchdowns, including 324 yards and t wo touchdowns at LSU in 2021

QB Brendan Sorsby: The Indiana tr ansfer comes to the Bearcats looking to become the full-time star ter. Las t year for the Hoosiers, he completed 57.2% of his pas se s for 1,587 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also r an for 286 yards and four touchdowns.

CB Jordan Young: The lone returning s tarter in the secondary, he had 34 tackle s, one interception and six passes broken up las t year. A former four-s tar recruit, he spent t wo seasons at Florida before trans ferring to Cincinnati.

Good to Know

• Prior to las t year, Cincinnati had a dominant, five -year run in the American Athle tic C onference. From 2018-22, the Bearcats went 53-11 with t wo conference title s, four top -25 finishes and five bowl appear ance s.

Texa s Tech

Head coach: Joey McGuire, 3rd season (15-11)

2023 season: 7-6, 5-4 Big 12; beat California in Independence Bowl

Series with CU: Tied 5-5

The Game

Who: C olor ado Buff aloe s at Texas Tech Red Raiders

When: Saturday, Nov. 9, time TBA

Where: Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks (28) runs for a firs t down agains t California during the second half half of the Independence Bowl NCA A college football game

Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, in Shreveport, La. Texas Tech won 34-14

Utah

Head coach: Kyle Whit tingham, 20th season (162-79) 2023 season: 8-5, 5-4 Pac-12; lost to Nor thwe stern in Las Vegas Bowl

Series with CU: Utah leads 3432-3

The Game

Who: Utah Ute s at C olor ado Buffaloes

When: Saturday, Nov. 16, time TBA Where: Folsom Field in Boulder

5 Guys to Watch

RB Micah Bernard: A six th-year senior, he’s played offense and defense in his career. Although he’s never been the full-time s tarter, he has rushed for 1,208 yards and seven touchdowns in his career, aver aging 5.4 yards per carry He also has 69 receptions for 620 yards and three score s.

TE Brant Kuithe: A seventh-year senior, he’s one of the bes t tight ends in the country when healthy, but he’s mis sed Utah’s las t 23 game s due to injurie s. He was second-team All-Pac-12 three years in a row (2019-21) and has 148 career catche s for 1,882 yards and 16 touchdowns

LB Karene Reid: One of the top returning linebackers in the conference, Reid was second-team All-Pac-12 last year. He finished second on the team with 67 tackle s, while also adding t wo tackles for loss, one interception and four

5 Guys to Watch

S CJ Baskerville: A San Diego State trans fer las t year, Basker ville s tarted 10 game s for the Red Raiders, at “star” and safet y. Finished second on the team with 78 tackle s, while adding 4.5 tackle s for loss, t wo interceptions and five pass breakups.

RB Tahj Brooks: Had a breakout season in 2023, rushing for 1,538 yards and 10 touchdowns and earning firs t-team All-Big 12 honors He ranked fourth nationally in rushing yards (118.31 per game) He also caught 29 passes for 72 yards.

WR Josh Kelly: Caught 61 passes for 923 yards and eight touchdowns at Washington State las t year. A six th-year senior who played four years at Fre sno State, he’s caught 148 passes for 2,228

yards and 12 TD in his career.

QB Behren Mor ton: The backup at the s tart of the 2022 season, he took over as the s tarter by the fifth game. Wound up s tarting eight game s, completing 62% of his passes for 1,757 yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

LB Ben Rober ts: Was named the co -defensive fre shman of the year in the Big 12 last year. Led the Red Raiders with 107 tackle s, including 6.5 tackle s for loss, t wo forced fumble s and an interception

Good to Know

• Per 247Spor ts.com, Texas Tech had the top -r ated recruiting class in the Big 12 for the Class of 2024. The class is headlined by five -s tar receiver Micah Hudson, who is projected as a s tarter

Utah quarterback Cameron Rising looks to throw during the firs t half in the Rose Bowl against Penn State on Jan. 2, 2023, in Pasadena, Calif

pass breakups. He was firs t-team All-Pac-12 in 2022.

QB Cameron Rising: The 25-yearold, seventh-year senior is back after mis sing las t year with an injury. A s tarter in 24 straight games from 2021-22, he threw for a total of 5,527 yards and 46 touchdowns (with only 13 interceptions) and rushed for 964 yards and 12 touchdowns in those t wo seasons

DL Junior Tafuna: A pre seas on All-Big 12 selection, he had 17 tackle s, three tackles for loss and

1.5 sacks las t year. He was second-team All-Pac-12 three times and was the Pac-12 defensive freshman of the year in 2021.

Good to Know

• Kicker C ole Becker, who played at CU from 2021-22, was 15-for-18 on field goals las t year with the Ute s, including a long of 51 yards. He missed the firs t three field goal attempts of his career, but has gone 40-of-48 (83.3%) since then, as well as 73- of-74 on extra points.

MA RCIO JOSE SAN CHEZ, FILE — THE A SS OCIATED PRESS

Ka nsas

Head coach: Lance Leipold, 4th season (17-21; 163-60 career) 2023 season: 9-4, 5-4 Big 12; beat UNLV in Guar anteed Rate Bowl Series with CU: Buff s lead 4225-3

The Game

Who: C olor ado Buff aloe s at Kansas Jayhawks

When: Saturday, Nov. 23, time TBA Where: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas Cit y, Mo.

5 Guys to Watch

WR L awrence Arnold: A top receiver for the Jayhawks the las t t wo years, he was All-Big 12 honorable mention las t year when he caught 44 passes for 782 yards and six touchdowns

CB Cobee Br yant: First-team AllBig 12 in 2022 and 2023, he’s one of the bet ter corners in the country Br yant had 32 tackle s, four interceptions and five pas s breakups last year, while adding five tackles for los s.

QB Jalon Daniels: Extremely talented when healthy, he’s made 21 career s tarts, but has also m is sed

Ok la homa State

Head coach: Mike Gundy, 20th season (166-79)

2023 season: 10-4, 7-2 Big 12; Beat Texas A &M in Texas Bowl Series with CU: Buff s lead 2620-1

The Game

Who: Oklahoma State at C olor ado Buff aloe s

When: Friday, Nov. 29, 10 a.m. MT (ABC)

Where: Folsom Field in Boulder

5 Guys to Watch

QB Alan Bowman: A trans fer from Michigan a year ago, he s tarted 13 game s and completed 60.7% of his passes for 3,460 yards, 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He also ran for t wo touchdowns.

RB Ollie Gordon II: The offensive player of the year in the Big 12 in 2023, he led the country with 1,732 rushing yards and was second in rushing touchdowns (21). He was also a big par t of the pas sing game, finishing third on the team with 39 receptions for 330 yards.

14 of 26 game s the las t t wo seasons. He’s thrown for 4,297 yards, 31 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions in his career, while rushing for 600 yards and 13 touchdowns

CB Mello Dotson: Along with Br yant, he was named pre season All-Big 12 by the media. He earned honorable mention honors las t season after pos ting 48 tackle s, four interceptions and 11 pass breakups. His 15 total pas se s defended tied for second in the conference. He also had three tackles for loss

RB Devin Neal: Earned second-team All-Big 12 honors las t year after rushing for 1,280 yards and 16 touchdowns. A t wo -time 1,000yard rusher, he’s r acked up 3,077 yards and 33 touchdowns in three seasons with the Jayhawks, while also catching 53 career pas se s.

Good to Know

• CU and Kansas played every year from 1948-2010 as conference rivals in the Big Seven (1948-57), Big Eight (1958-1995) and Big 12 (1996-2010). The Jayhawks have won four of the las t five meetings, including a 52-45 victor y in the most recent matchup, on Nov 6, 2010

LB Nick Mar tin: A firs t-team AllBig 12 selection in 2023, he r anked sixth nationally with 140 tackle s, while also record 16 tackle s for loss, six sacks and t wo interceptions.

LB Collin Oliver: Las t year, he was second-team all- conference after posting 73 tackle s, 15 tackle s for loss, six sacks, five pas s breakups and t wo fumble recoverie s.

WR Brennan Presley: The 5-foot8, 160-pound senior is the go-to target for Bowman. Las t year, he caught 101 passes (tied for third nationally) for 991 yards and six touchdowns, while also handling re turn dutie s.

Good to Know

• Quarterback Alan Bowman will be in his seventh season of college football, as he was granted a medical hardship waiver for a season- ending injur y three games into the 2019 season. He played three seasons at Texas Tech (2018-20) and was a seven-game star ter as a true fre shman. He made 16 star ts with the Red Raiders before playing two seasons (2021-22) at Michigan, where he threw jus t 11 passes

AP Top 25 schedu le

Thursday, Aug. 29

No. 11 Missouri vs. Murray State, 6 p.m.

No. 12 Utah vs. Southern Utah, 7 p.m.

No. 22 Kans as vs. Lindenwood, 6 p.m.

No. 24 N.C. State vs. Wes tern C arolina, 5 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 30

No. 16 Oklahoma vs. Temple, 5 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 31

No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 14 Clemson (at Atlanta), 10 a.m.

No. 2 Ohio State vs. Akron, 1:30 p.m.

No. 3 Oregon vs. Idaho, 5:30 p.m.

No. 4 Texas vs. C olor ado State, 1:30 p.m.

No. 5 Alabama vs. Wes tern Kentuck y, 5 p.m.

2024-25 COLLEGE BOWL SCHEDULE

No. 6 Missis sippi vs. Furman, 5 p.m.

No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A &M, 5:30 p.m.

No. 8 Penn State at Wes t Virginia, 10 a.m.

No. 9 Michigan vs. Fre sno State, 5:30 p.m.

No. 15 Tennes see vs Chat tanooga, 10:45 a.m.

No. 17 Oklahoma State vs. South Dakota State, noon

No. 18 Kans as State vs. UT Mar tin, 5 p.m.

No. 19 Miami at Florida, 1:30 p.m.

No. 21 Arizona vs. New Mexico, 8:30 p.m.

No. 25 Iowa vs. Illinois State, 10 a.m.

Sunday, Sept. 1

No. 13 LSU vs. No. 23 USC (at Las Vegas), 5:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 2

No. 10 Florida State vs Bos ton C ollege, 5:30 p.m.

CFP Nation al

Ch ampion sh ip odd s

Georgia +300

Ohio State +325

Oregon +700

Texas +800

Alabama +1500

Ole Mis s +1500

LSU +2000

Penn State +2000

Notre Dame +2000

Michigan +2500

Florida State +3000

Colorado +15000

date, time to be confirmed.  College Football Playoff Starting with the 2024 season, the College Football Playoff whic h began for the 2014 season, has been expanded from four teams to 12; the top four teams will receive a bye, bile the fifth through 12th teams will play on campus sites, with the teams ranked fifth through eighth hosting the first round games. Quarterfinal and semifinal games are rotated among the six bowls that have become known as the “New Year’s Six” (Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose and Sugar); the quarterfinals will be played on either New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, with semifinal games in-between the quarters and the championship game date The championship game (managed by the 10 conferences), will be on the third Monday and at selected neutral sites every year. A selection committee selects the teams based on their body of work, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, comparison of results against common opponents, championships won and other factors; no computer components

Fri. Dec. 20, 2024 (one game), Sat., Dec. 21, 2024 (three games);

n : Tues. Dec. 31, 2024 (Fiesta), Wed., Jan. 1, 2025 (Peach, Rose & Sugar); 2 0

19, 2025 (one game), Sat., Dec. 20 (three games).

o n : Dec. 31, 2025 (Cotton), Jan. 1, 2026 (Orange, Rose & Sugar). S

Thurs. Jan. 9, 2025 (Orange), Fri., Jan.10, 2025 (Cotton);

(Fiesta), Fri. Jan. 9, 2026 (Peach).

COLLEGE

Expa nded SEC and Big Ten flex muscles

ban since 2006, star ts No. 5. No 6 Mississippi gives the SEC ha lf the top preseason top si x.

By R alph D. Rus so

Th e Assoc iated Pre ss

Ge or gia is No. 1 i n The

As so ci at ed P re ss Top 2 5 presea son college fo otba ll poll for the second straight year a s the superconference era begins w ith the SEC and Big Ten dominating the top 10 of the rankings.

Th e Bu ll do gs r ec ei ve d 46 f ir st -p la ce v ot es a nd 1, 532 points i n the Top 25 released on Aug. 12 and the SE C powerhou se f in ishe d comfor ta bly ahea d of No. 2 Ohio State (15 fi rst-plac e vote s and 1,490 points) of the Big Ten.

New Big Ten member Oregon is No. 3, receiving one fi rs t- pl ac e vo te f rom the panel of 62 media members who cover college footba ll.

Texa s, which joins G eorg ia in the Southea stern Conference this sea son, is fourth.

Th e Bi g Te n an d SE C ea ch h av e four t ea ms i n the top 10.

Conference rea li gn ment ha s reduced the Power Five to t he Pow er Fou r, w it h the Pa c-12 whitt led to t wo scho ol s. T he Big Ten now ha s 18 schools The At la ntic Coast Conference has 17 footba ll teams, and the SEC and Big 12 each have 16.

All the movement created an u npre ce dent ed pre se ason poll w ith just four conferenc es r epre sent ed: The SEC leads with nine ranked teams. T he Big Ten has six, the Big 12 has five a nd the ACC has four.

Alabama, in it s first season without coach Nick Sa-

Independent Notre Dame is the highest ranked team from out side t he SEC a nd Big Ten at No. 7

No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 Michigan g ive the Big Ten four t op 10 te am s. F lorida St at e from t he ACC is No. 10.

Title game finalists

The de fend in g nation al champion Wolveri ne s sa id goodbye to coach Jim Ha rbaugh, quarterback J.J McCa rthy a nd 12 other players who were selected in Apr il’s NFL draf t. A ll that attr ition le d to M ichi ga n re ceiv in g the lowest preseason ranking for a defending national champion since 2011, when Auburn was No. 23 af ter the departure of Cam New ton. Before that, the last time

a defending national champion was ranked worse than No. 7 in t he fol lowing preseason poll wa s Colorado at No. 13 in 1991.

Wa sh in gt on , wh ich lo st to M ic hi ga n in t he C ollege Football Playoff champi on sh ip g am e, t oo k an even bigger fa ll after losing it s he ad c oa ch ( Ka len DeBoer repla ced Saba n at A lab am a), st ar qua rt erba ck and a mountain of ta lent to the draf t and transfer portal. T he Huskies are the first team to reach the CFP and be unran ked the follow in g se ason, and the fi rst te am to be unranked after finishing the prev ious sea son No. 2 in the A P poll since A rmy in 195 1. T he rankings were a Top 20 then.

The on ly t ea m to fi ni sh No. 1 and star t the next season un ra nked was Min nesota in 1961, but the AP poll wa s only a Top 10 then.

C LO S E TO C A M P U SM E D IC A L C A R E

Ohio State leads star-studded transfers

By Ste ve Megargee

Th e Assoc iated Pre ss

Ohio State attacked the transfer port al i nt ent on s toppin g Mich igan’s r un of Big Ten suprema cy.

Th e sa me n ig ht M ic hi ga n clinched t he nat iona l title with a 34 -1 3 vict or y ov er Was hi ng ton, ru nn in g ba ck Q ui nshon Jud ki ns went on social media to announce he was t ra nsferr in g from Mis sissippi to Ohio State

Former K an sa s St at e qu ar terback Will Howard a nd for mer Alabama center Seth McL aughlin had commit ted to Ohio State days earlier Former A labama safet y Ca leb Downs joined them le ss tha n two week s later.

They made the decision underst anding c omplet ely the hi gh dema nd s of a f an base di ssat is fied with a Buckeyes prog ra m that has gone 11-2 but lost to Michigan each of the last three years

Ohio State’s tra nsfer class is a s st ar -s tudded a s any to sig n with a si ng le school du ri ng t he por ta l era. T he second-ra nked Buckeyes’ ot her addition s include qu ar terback Julian Sayin (for merly at A labama), center Seth McLaughlin (A labama), ti ght end Wi ll K acma rek (Ohio), sa fe ty K eena n Nels on Jr. (South C arolina), punt er A nt hony Venner i (Bu ff alo) a nd l inebacker Joey Velazquez ( Michigan).

Bulked-up Buckeyes

Judk ins comes to Ohio State after rushing for 2,725 ya rds and 31 touchdow ns at Ole Miss over the last t wo sea sons He now w ill share carr ies with T reVeyon Henderson, who ha s 2,745 career yards r ushing with the Buckeyes.

Downs wa s an A ssociated Press All-Amer ica second-tea m selection la st year while ma king 107 tackles for Al abam a, b ec om in g the fi rs t freshman in school history to lead

“Same ex pectations that I’ve had my whole life,” Downs told repor ters. “The same expectations we had at ‘Bama — to win games, dominate ever y ga me a nd go win a championship.”

the Cr imson Tide in that c ategor y. McLaug hlin sta rt ed 24 ga me s for the Tide over the last three seasons.

Howa rd s ta rt ed 2 8 ga me s at Ka nsas State a nd set a school record w it h 48 c ar eer touc hdow n pa sses He led t he W ildc at s to a Bi g 12 t it le i n 2022 Now he get s a chance t o direct a n offense featuring plent y of f uture NFL ta lent

“Ever ything ’s heightened here,” Howard told repor ters.

WR Isaiah Bond, Texas (Alabama)

Bond showed an ability to deliver in t he clutch at his for mer school that should enable him to emerge as a t op weapon for the four thra nked L onghor ns

(Wisconsin) in 2021 and Sam Hartma n ( Wa ke Forest) in 2023.

An kle and foot injur ie s limited Leonard to seven games last year af te r an out st andi ng s ea son in 2022. During that 2022 c ampaig n, Leonard threw for 2, 967 yards with 20 t ouchdown s and si x interc eptions, a nd he also r ushed for 699 ya rds and 13 scores.

DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss (Texas A&M)

Bond c au ght 48 passe s for 668 ya rd s and four t ouchdown s la st se as on He c au gh t th e fo ur thand- 31 t ouchdown pas s in t he fina l minute of a 27-24 victor y at Auburn a nd followed that up by compiling five rec eptions for 79 ya rd s in the Crimson T ide’s 27-24 Southea ster n Conference cha mpionship ga me t riumph over Geor gia. SEC media made Bond a presea son second-team a ll-SEC selec tion.

QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (Oklahoma)

The former UCF and Oklahoma quar terback will suit up w ith No 3 Oregon for his six th sea son.

Gabr iel is t ied for four th pla ce in NCA A hi st or y with 1 52 c areer tota l touchdow ns (125 pa ssing, 26 rushing, 1 receiving). He also ranks se ve nt h in t ot al y ar ds ( 15 ,9 25 ), ei ghth i n ya rd s pa ssin g (14, 86 5) and ei ghth in touchdow ns If Gabr iel stays healthy, he could set the record for most ca reer sta rt s by a quar terback. Gabriel has started 49 ga me s. T he rec ord of 6 1 is owned by Bo Nix, who preceded Gabriel a s Oregon’s quarterba ck

QB Riley Leonard, Notre Dame (Duke)

Le onard’s move t o No 7 Notre Dame makes him the third transfer in the last four years to open a season as the Fighting Ir ish’s star ting quar terback, following Jack Coan

Wh en h e si gn ed w it h Te xa s A& M, Nolen was rat ed a s the nation’s No. 2 overa ll prospec t in his hi gh s chool cl as s by comp os it e ra nk in gs of re cr uiti ng sit es c ompi led by 247 Spor ts. He t ot aled 66 ta ck les, 11 ta ck les for loss and five sa ck s in t wo sea sons w ith the Aggies before transferring to No 6 Ole Miss SEC media ma de him a preseason first-team all-conference selection.

DE Nic Scourton, Texas A&M (Purdue)

The 20th-ranked Aggies landed th e 20 23 B ig Ten s ac ks l ea de r when Scour ton ar rived from P urdue. Scour ton collec ted 10 sacks a s well a s 15 t ackles for los s and 50 overall ta ck les la st sea son. He had two sacks in a loss to Michigan and closed the sea son with t wo more in a victor y over Indiana SEC media made him a preseason second-team all- conference selec tion.

QB Cam Ward, Miami (Washington State)

Miam i ha s gone 1 9-18 over t he la st t hree sea sons but ent er s th is ye ar r an ke d 19 th t ha nk s la rgely due to a ll the inc om in g transfers. Miami’s most heralded transfer addition is Wa rd, the Atla nt ic C oa st Confer ence’s pre se ason player of the year.

Af ter play ing at Incarnate Word, Ward started 25 games at Washington St at e and completed 65.5% of his pa sses for 6,963 yards w ith 48 touchdow ns and 16 interceptions

By Ste ve Megargee

Th e Assoc iated Press

Ohio State attacked the transfer port al i nt ent on s toppin g Mich igan’s r un of Big Ten suprema cy

my whole life,” Downs told repor ters. “The same expectations we had at ‘Bama — to win games, dominate ever y ga me a nd go win a championship.”

Former K an sa s St at e qu ar terback Will Howard a nd for mer Alabama center Seth McL aughlin had commit ted to Ohio State days earlier. Former A labama safet y Ca leb Downs joined them le ss tha n two week s later.

All-Amer ica second-tea m selection la st year while ma king 107 tackles for Al abam a, b ec om in g the fi rs t freshman in school history to lead the Cr imson Tide in that c ategor y. McLaug hlin sta rt ed 24 ga me s for the Tide over the last three seasons.

Ohio State leads star-studded transfers

Dame makes him the third transfer in the last four years to open a season as the Fighting Ir ish’s star ting quar terback, following Jack Coan (Wisconsin) in 2021 and Sam Hartma n ( Wa ke Forest) in 2023.

Bulked-up Buckeyes

They made the decision underst anding c omplet ely the hi gh dema nd s of a f an base di ssat is fied with a Buckeyes prog ra m that has gone 11-2 but lost to Michigan each of the last three years

“Same ex pectations that I’ve had

Judk ins comes to Ohio State after rushing for 2,725 ya rds and 31 touchdow ns at Ole Miss over the last t wo sea sons. He now w ill share carr ies with T reVeyon Henderson, who ha s 2,745 career yards r ushing with the Buckeyes.

Howa rd s ta rt ed 2 8 ga me s at Ka nsas State a nd set a school record w it h 48 c ar eer touc hdow n pa sses He led t he W ildc at s to a Bi g 12 t it le i n 2022 . Now he get s a chance t o direct a n offense featuring plent y of f uture NFL ta lent

Downs wa s an A ssociated Press

“Ever ything ’s heightened here,” Howard told repor ters

WR Isaiah Bond, Texas

(Alabama)

Bond showed an ability to deliver in t he clutch at his for mer school that should enable him to emerge as a t op weapon for the four thra nked L onghor ns.

Bond c au ght 48 passe s for 668 ya rd s and four t ouchdown s la st se as on . He c au gh t th e fo ur thand- 31 t ouchdown pas s in t he fina l minute of a 27-24 victor y at Auburn a nd followed that up by compiling five rec eptions for 79 ya rd s in the Crimson T ide’s 27-24 Southea ster n Conference cha mpionship ga me t riumph over Geor gia. SEC media made Bond a presea son second-team a ll-SEC selec tion.

QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (Oklahoma)

The former UCF and Oklahoma quar terback will suit up w ith No. 3 Oregon for his six th sea son.

QB Riley Leonard, Notre Dame

(Duke)

Le onard’s move t o No 7 Notre

DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss (Texas A&M)

Wh en h e si gn ed w it h Te xa s A& M, Nolen was rat ed a s the nation’s No. 2 overa ll prospec t in his hi gh s chool cl as s by comp os it e ra nk in gs of re cr uiti ng sit es c ompi led by 247 Spor ts He t ot aled 66 ta ck les, 11 ta ck les for loss and five sa ck s in t wo sea sons w ith the Aggies before transferring to No. 6 Ole Miss. SEC media ma de him a preseason first-team all-conference selection.

DE Nic Scourton, Texas A&M (Purdue)

The 20th-ranked Aggies landed th e 20 23 B ig Ten s ac ks l ea de r when Scour ton ar rived from P urdue. Scour ton collec ted 10 sacks a s well a s 15 t ackles for los s and 50 overall ta ck les la st sea son. He had two sacks in a loss to Michigan and closed the sea son with t wo more in a victor y over Indiana . SEC media made him a preseason second-team all- conference selec tion.

QB Cam Ward, Miami (Washington State)

Af ter play ing at Incarnate Word, Ward started 25 games at Washington St at e and completed 65.5% of his pa sses for 6,963 yards w ith 48 touchdow ns and 16 interceptions