Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Report: Freshman Sami Getting His Chance At Nose Tackle
March 20, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — When Colorado coach Mel Tucker and his staff arrived in December and began studying the Buffaloes' returning roster, they very quickly noticed a rather large hole in the middle of the defensive line.
Simply, virtually every scholarship player who took a snap last year at nose tackle was gone.
But Tucker and defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh also noticed a redshirt freshman on the roster who had the potential to possibly fill that gap — and early in spring ball, it looks as if Jalen Sami is going to get his chance to be that man.
After two practices, the 6-foot-6, 325-pound Sami has been getting plenty of snaps with the No. 1 defensive line, playing alongside junior Mustafa Johnson and Terrance Lang. While it is far too early to hazard a guess at a depth chart, Sami has been doing enough that he's turning heads — and will no doubt have a chance to prove himself Friday when the Buffs put on pads for the first time this year in spring ball.
"He's raw right now because he did not play last year," Brumbaugh said after Wednesday's practice, the second of the spring. "But the thing is he has the will and he wants to do it — and he's got a motor, especially for a guy that weighs 325 pounds. He moves really well for a guy that weighs 325."
That 325 pounds, by the way, is about 25 pounds less than Sami weighed last spring, when he arrived on campus as a grayshirt from the 2017 recruiting class out of Vista Ridge High School in Colorado Springs. His development was then derailed when he suffered a knee injury in spring ball and underwent surgery.
Now, however, he is back to full go, and he has benefitted from spending last fall in the weight room, along with participating in Tucker's "Fourth Quarter" offseason training program under the direction of strength and conditioning coach Drew Wilson.
It shows. Sami has shed plenty of the unnecessary weight he brought with him to Boulder and replaced it with muscle. He has also improved his quickness and speed, and now looks the part of a Division I defensive lineman.
"It's changed pretty dramatically," Sami said of his body composition. "I've definitely grown stronger and lost a lot of fat. … The program Coach Drew has for me, the weights, the nutrition — it's all working out and has helped me. I feel much better than I ever have before."
Sami originally thought he would be dropping down to about 310 or 315 pounds. But the 325 mark, he said, is now where the CU staff wants him to stay.
"I thought I would be a little lighter, but now they want me a little bigger and moving as fast," he said. It's something I'm working with and experimenting."
On the field, Sami obviously still has plenty of catching up to do. He hasn't played in a game since the fall of 2017, and he missed even practicing for most of last fall as he was still rehabilitating his knee.
But while he is raw, as Brumbaugh said, the desire and physical ability are no doubt there. The next step for Sami is improving his technique while also digesting as much of CU's new defensive scheme as possible in a short period of time.
"It's a learning process," he said. "I'm starting to shape into my body and now I have to work on my fundamentals. With coach Brumbaugh, it's all about technique, technique, technique. He's an old-school guy and I love it — just have to work and learn from him."
That technique, Sami said, will no doubt take some refining.
"In high school you don't get a lot of teaching," he said. "They just told me to go tackle the ball and that's what I did. Now it's learning technique, how to play against blocks, how to read formations, how to tell personnel and how we'll approach it with our defense. It's definitely improving my IQ of the game."
Another plus for Sami is the opportunity to play alongside and learn from Johnson, a first-team All-Pac-12 pick last year.
"It's definitely good learning from Mustafa, him being the dog he is," Sami said. "He's out there motivating the whole defensive line. He's a leader, and he does it by example."
Brumbaugh said Sami has the body type and temperament to play nose tackle. The key will be in his technique development and learning the defense.
"He's a big, athletic guy who wants to learn," Brumbaugh said. "Right now, he's coming back from his injury and getting his legs back under him, but he's really been working hard in the offseason program and has been a joy to have here and coach."
ON THE MOVE: While Tucker has made it clear he wants the Buffs moving quickly and with a purpose throughout practice, he is also practicing what he preaches.
Tucker spends practice going from drill to drill, watching every position group — and when the Buffs begin 11-on-11 situations, he is moving up and down the field, running with players, exhorting and coaching from snap to whistle.
"We all need to do what we can do to get in the best condition — coaches and players," he said with a laugh after Wednesday's practice.
LANDMAN ALREADY IN CHARGE: The Buffs were in shorts and helmets on Wednesday, but they still managed to get in some solid 11-on-11 work, simulating game action as much as possible.
What is quickly becoming evident is that junior linebacker Nate Landman is picking up where he left off a year ago. A second-team All-Pac-12 pick last year as well as CU's leading tackler, Landman is already directing traffic from his spot in the middle of the defense, making calls and helping teammates understand where they should be lined up in Colorado's new defensive scheme.
Landman is also showing his knack for big plays, as he recorded a pick-six in Wednesday's drills.
"I really like the way he runs the defense," Tucker said. "He makes the calls, gets guys lined up. That allows everyone around him to play faster."
Faster, of course, is one of the CU staff's main goals. It's not as much a matter of running plays in a hurry as it is playing fast from beginning to end of every play. It's a theme that carries from the beginning to end of practice — nobody walks.
"That's the way you have to practice because that's the way games are going to be," Tucker said. "We want to make practices harder than the games, so we have to go hard every snap."
PRACTICE REPORT: With Laviska Shenault Jr. still recovering from surgery, the Buffs are mixing and matching their wide receiver lineups with the No. 1 offense. Among those getting some No. 1 snaps Wednesday were K.D. Nixon, Dimitri Stanley and Tony Brown. … Also making a nice catch in the end zone was Daniel Arias. … Quarterback Tyler Lytle showed some nice speed on a long run down the sidelines. ...
CU's defensive coaches are getting Davion Taylor into a variety of roles to try to utilize his speed and size. It's likely he will end up in what Tucker called his "Star" position at Georgia, similar to a nickel back.
"He's a guy that has tremendous speed, has good size, very athletic and a guy that can do a lot of different things for us," Tucker said. "I'm excited about what he can do." …
Along with individual position drills, the Buffs continue to get plenty of 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 team drills, with the No. 1 defense and offense often matching up. Akil Jones is getting some snaps alongside Landman at inside linebacker; and Carson Wells and Nu'umotu Falo Jr. are getting time on the outside. … Among those getting some snaps on the No. 2 defensive line were redshirt freshman Melekiola Finau, junior college transfer Jeremiah Doss and Nico Magri.
SCHEDULE: After two days in shorts and helmets, the Buffs will be in full pads Friday. Of the 15 spring practices, NCAA rules mandate three in shorts (no contact), four in pads (no tackling), five in pads (tackling allowed 50 percent or less of the time) and three in pads (tackling allowed throughout, as in extended scrimmages).
Friday's practice will be the last for a week, as CU will take next week off for spring break. The Buffs will return to the field April 1 and practice three times a week the rest of the month before the April 27 spring game.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
