Practice Report: Buffs CB Abrams In Mix At Highly Competitive Cornerback Spot

BOULDER — At a position where competition in camp has been fierce and starting positions are still up for grabs, Colorado junior Delrick Abrams Jr. has put himself squarely in the mix for a starting cornerback spot.

Abrams, a junior college transfer who enrolled at CU in January and thus had the benefit of spring ball, has had a solid fall camp for the Buffs. He has had his share of big plays in a group that has produced them on a daily basis, and he is becoming more and more comfortable each day with the nuances of the CU defense.

"I'm feeling a lot more comfortable out there," Abrams said earlier this week. "I was here in the spring and got a chance to get ahead and little and learn a lot of things, but I was still a little nervous then. Now I think I'm more in my comfort zone and can just go out there and play."

Abrams has earned the nickname "Slim" — even head coach Mike MacIntyre calls him that on occasion — for good reason. At 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, he is a slender figure on the field.

But he is also blessed with a wingspan to match his height, and when combined with his good speed, quickness and leaping ability, he has drawn comparisons to former Buffs cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who now plies his trade for the San Francisco 49ers.

"There are some similarities," MacIntyre said. "Hopefully they'll play similar too."

Abrams is part of a five-man battle for the two cornerback spots. Also in the hunt are sophomore Trey Udoffia and junior Dante Wigley, both of whom started for the Buffs last year, along with redshirt freshman Chris Miller and another junior college transfer, Mekhi Blackmon.

"All of them have flashed and all of them can play at a Pac-12 level," said defensive passing game coordinator ShaDon Brown. "Whoever plays the best in practice, whoever is consistent and is playing the best is who we're going to roll out there."

Abrams said playing against CU's quality group of receivers has helped him improve his game, especially given the different talents that each receiver brings to the table.

"Fast guys, quick guys, big guys, strong guys," Abrams said. "You learn how to cover all different kinds of receivers and you learn how to play each guy a little different. They all do different things, but they're all really good. You have to be able to do a lot of different things to cover them."

Abrams has shown knack for getting up quickly and knocking down deep balls, and is also big enough to go up and battle CU's bigger receivers in traffic.

Now, he knows he and his fellow corners will be under the spotlight in Friday night's scrimmage at Folsom Field.

"There's a lot of competition and everybody's playing pretty good," he said. "I'm just trying to get better every day, not make mistakes and try to make plays. I think we're all getting better. We'll be confident in whoever goes out there."

MAC ON RAMS OPENER: For the second year in a row, the Buffs will open the season against a Colorado State team that already has a game under its belt. The Rams open their season Aug. 25 at home against Hawaii; the Buffs and Rams will meet six days later in Denver in a 7:30 p.m. contest (CBS Sports Network).

MacIntyre once again reiterated that he thinks Colorado State has an edge by opening a week early.

"It's definitely an advantage that they play a game before us," MacIntyre said. "You always improve a little bit from that first game to second game. The speed of the game, the anxiety, all the different things that happen in the first game, some of those things don't show up as much in the second game."

Still, the Buffs will have a chance to see the Rams in a game situation, including their defense under new coordinator John Jancek, who took the reins after CSU struggled on defense down the stretch last year.

"A little advantage for us is we get to see their defense," MacIntyre said. "Offensively I think they'll be similar. They'll have new weapons and they'll use those weapons differently but it will be a similar scheme. Defensively they have a new defense and everything they're doing, we'll at least get a little look it and have an idea of what they're doing."

Jancek has worked at a variety of places in his career, including Tennessee, Cincinnati and Georgia.

PRACTICE REPORT: The Buffs were on the field for roughly two hours Thursday morning in shorts and light pads. They dedicated a portion of their workout to special teams situational work, as well as some goal-line, red zone and long field work. …

As the Buffs continue to build depth on the offensive line, they have been giving some snap to junior college transfer Kary Kutsch at guard with the No. 2 unit at guard. Kutsch signed in early May and thus didn't have the chance to participate in spring ball, but has made good strides in fall camp and is a solid 6-foot-4, 300 pounder. … Cornerback Dante Wigley came up with some nice plays Thursday, including a nice breakup of a deep ball that earned a thumbs-up from MacIntyre. … Running back Travon McMillian is proving to be a consistent receiver out of the backfield, something that will no doubt help his cause when CU coaches sit down to decide how the running back rotation will shake out … Wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. continues to be a consistent threat on the deep ball as well as on shorter routes, with his size and speed making him a difficult matchup for either a linebacker or a defensive back. … Quarterbacks Steven Montez and Sam Noyer have both been sharp this week, picking up where they left off in last Saturday's scrimmage. …

On the defensive line, redshirt freshman Terrance Lang and true freshman Israel Antwine continue to get work with the No. 1 unit. Lang, MacIntyre said, is becoming more and more consistent.

"He's understanding it better and better," MacIntyre said, "a lot better than he was the first part of spring. I've seen a change in him, just the maturity level. The good thing is he flashes quite often. Hopefully he'll be able to do that on Saturdays and we believe he will." … The Buffs will scrimmage Friday night under the lights in Folsom Field, then practice again Saturday before taking the day off Sunday.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu