Position Preview: Despite Losses, Still Talent In Buffs Secondary

BOULDER — When ShaDon Brown took over as Colorado's secondary coach in the offseason, it didn't look like a particularly enviable position.

Brown inherited a secondary that lost not one, not two, but three starters to the NFL Draft last spring. On the surface, at least, it looked like Brown was taking over a major rebuilding effort.

But upon a little closer inspection, Brown found there was more to his new secondary than what most folks saw on paper.

For starters, Brown inherited cornerback Isaiah Oliver, a player who technically wasn't a starter a year ago (just three starts), but a cornerback who might be one of the best in the Pac-12 — if not the nation.

He also inherited a pair of quality starters in safety Afolabi Laguda and Buff back Ryan Moeller, along with Evan Worthington, a big, physical back who spent a year away from the program in 2016 but returned last spring with a renewed sense of purpose and dedication.

In short, the cupboard wasn't quite as bare as those on the outside may have thought.

Overall, Brown likes the potential he has seen thus far in camp. He was cautiously optimistic after CU's first scrimmage of camp last week, and didn't see anything in Saturday's second scrimmage to change his mind.

"I think we've made considerable improvement," he said. "The No. 1 thing is we're doing a much better job communicating adjustments with motions and things like that, things we struggled with a little early on. It takes more reps to see some of those things. I think we've done a good job. We're not perfect yet, but that's where we've made the biggest improvement."

Communication is important everywhere on the field, on both sides of the ball. But it is particularly vital in the secondary, where players must recognize offensive sets, make calls and determine coverages in a split second.

"In our first scrimmage, that first group did a good job — almost like you could see those guys starting to gel as they were playing," Brown said. "That's very good to see because you know there's a trust factor starting to build between those guys."

A big part of that trust comes with experience, and despite losing three starters from last year, the Buffs still have plenty of veterans in the secondary. Laguda, a senior team captain, started all 14 games last season for Colorado; Moeller has 19 career starts under his belt; and Oliver has six starts. Throw Worthington and safety Nick Fisher into the mix, and there's no lack of experience.

Oliver gives the Buffs the luxury of a having a player they know can play "shutdown" corner.

"Isaiah is as good as Isaiah wants to be," Brown said. "I'm not surprised by anything he does. He's an unbelievable athlete, an unbelievable kid, unbelievable character. He makes a lot of plays because of the great focus that he has and the great preparation that he has in terms of understanding what he's going to get before it happens. I tell him every day, that a lot of days he is going to be the best player on the field. He has to compete with himself to be the best in the country, not the best at Colorado. The sky's the limit for him."

On the back end, the Buffs have an athletic, physical safety in Laguda, who has earned a reputation as a big hitter while also taking his coverage skills up a notch.

"Very accomplished," Brown said of Laguda. "He's going to do a lot of good things for us this year."

The Buffs are also expecting big things from safety/Buff back Worthington, Moeller is a proven playmaker at the same two spots and Fisher also showed the ability to produce in big moments last year.

If there is a major question, it is at the corner opposite of Oliver, where redshirt freshman Trey Udoffia has inched into the lead in the battle for the starting spot. Pushing Udoffia is sophomore Dante Wigley (a JC transfer) and sophomore Kevin George, also a JC transfer who arrived late in camp. Also working his way into the mix is redshirt freshman Derrion Rakestraw, who has moved from wide receiver.

"Trey's made some plays, but he's got a ways to come," Brown said. "I'd like for him to finish in the red zone a little bit better on some of the jump balls. The one area he's really improved in is communication. Early in the spring, Trey wouldn't say anything. Now he sees things and communicates calls to the safety. That tells me he understands what he's doing. He's not just running around playing off reaction, he knows exactly what he's doing and who's supposed to fit where."

WHO'S BACK: Cornerback: junior Isaiah Oliver, junior Andrew Bergner, RS freshman Ronnie Blackmon, RS freshman Trey Udoffia, RS freshman Uryan Hudson; Safety: senior Afolabi Laguda, senior Ryan Moeller, junior Evan Worthington, junior Nick Fisher, junior Kyle Trego, junior Daniel Talley, sophomore Lucas Cooper, junior Jaisen Sanchez,

WHO'S NEW: Cornerback: freshman Chris Miller, sophomore Dante Wigley (transfer), sophomore Kevin George (transfer), junior Darrell Hubbard (transfer). Safety: freshman Isaiah Lewis.

WHAT'S IN STORE: Not many folks — including head coach Mike MacIntyre — expect the Buffs to be as good as they were last year in the secondary, at least not early in the season. But there's plenty of talent there and if the Buffs can develop quickly in the preseason, they could be a good group.

A stretch to keep on your radar? Try the Sept. 23 Pac-12 opener against Washington at Folsom Field, followed a week later by a trip to UCLA. The Washington game is a rematch of last year's conference title game and the Buffs will get another look at UW quarterback Jake Browning. A week later, they will play in the Rose Bowl and see Bruins QB Josh Rosen. That should provide a very good idea of where CU's secondary stands this year.

STAT TO REMEMBER: Last season, CU was the nation's 20th-ranked pass defense, giving up fewer than 200 yards per game in the air, and the nation's fifth-ranked team in pass efficiency defense. Throw in the fact that CU also recorded 15 interceptions (tied for 22nd best in the nation) and that's an idea of the shoes this year's secondary must fill.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu