Buffs Report: LB Landman Quickly Steps Into Role Of Defense Leader

BOULDER — It didn't take Colorado junior linebacker Nate Landman long to step into the role of defensive team leader.

One practice, to be exact.

Landman, Colorado's leading tackler a year ago (123) despite playing only the sixth-most snaps on defense (619), has quickly assumed the role filled by Rick Gamboa over the last couple of seasons. Landman lines up in the middle, makes defensive calls, and is clearly helping the rest of the defense make the transition to Colorado's new scheme under new head coach Mel Tucker and defensive coordinator Tyson Summers.

Landman's rapid adjustment has been a pleasing sign for Tucker.

"I really like the way he runs the defense," Tucker said earlier this week. "He makes the calls, gets guys lined up and that allows everyone around him to play faster."

Friday morning, Landman and his teammates put on pads for the first time this spring, their third of 15 spring sessions. While the Buffs didn't tackle — it was a "thud" workout — full pads nevertheless offered the opportunity some serious contact. For someone who has earned a reputation as a player who seeks the ball and arrives in a bad mood, it brought a smile to Landman's face.

"That's the best feeling, especially being a defensive guy," he said. "You could tell today, the D-line and linebackers, we love hitting and the first day was great. It's always fun to hit people."

Landman proved to be very efficient at that aspect of the game last year. Along with his 123 tackles, he also recorded four quarterback sacks and nine more tackles for loss. He also proved to be a big-play producer, collecting a team high two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

This year, he will add the role of team leader to his responsibilities, something he has taken seriously. As soon as Colorado's new coaching staff arrived on campus, he began studying the playbook, learning new terminology, schemes and philosophy so he could pass that on to his teammates.

"At first I thought it was going to be tough for us, but the coaches have done a great job in getting us up to speed in a hurry," Landman said. "As a unit, I think we've progressed extremely well. We've done a lot of film, a lot of extra work, a lot of walkthroughs. The coaches have really gotten us prepared. I've seen tremendous strides from practice one to practice three."

Film study, Landman said, has been an integral part of that process. Along with team meetings and walkthroughs, he has been putting in an hour to an hour-and-a-half a day studying film and notes.

"I'm definitely taking pride in being a leader on defense this year," he said. "I took the responsibility on myself to learn the defense and study extra so I can help myself and help the guys around me. We want to use every moment possible to get better."

That, of course, has been a general theme among the Buffs since Tucker and his staff arrived on campus. There is no wasted time in practice. Efficiency is at a premium — as is effort in every drill and every play.

"I think everybody loves the tempo," Landman said. "Coach says it all the time — we're trying to make practice harder than games, which is a great idea. When we get out there in a game, nothing's going to hit us the wrong way. It's keeping us in shape and the strength staff did a great job getting us ready. Everybody's moving, we're always learning and there's no wasted time."

Tucker said he could sense the excitement before practice as the Buffs prepared to don pads for the first time this spring.

"I could tell in the team meeting that they were ready to go and were ready to put the pads on and hit someone," Tucker said. "We want to practice smart and I think we did a good job of thudding and collisions, but we didn't have a whole lot of guys on the ground. That is how you get guys hurt. That is learning how to practice in pads and getting your work in. I talked to them about working like a pro."

While the defense's base 3-4 scheme is similar to what Colorado played for the last several seasons, there are still some significant differences, especially in defensive calls as the offense lines up. Still, the defense has appeared to have an edge early on at times, as the offense is learning a complete new system.

"I am really excited about this group, defensively," Tucker said. "They really work hard at learning the scheme. Trying to figure out what we want as coaches and going out and applying them on the field. They have come a long way in a short period of time. I thought we got really good work in today. It is just a tremendous group to work with."

Landman still weighs in the 230-pound range, but said he shed some fat in CU's nine-week "fourth quarter" strength and conditioning program and replaced it with muscle. That, he said, should make him even better at his favorite part of the game.

"Being a middle linebacker, the first thing you have to do is stop the run and that's being fast downhill and being aggressive," he said. "That's the best part of the game and my favorite part."

PRACTICE NOTES: The tight end will no doubt be a much bigger part of Colorado's offense this year, both in the passing and run game. Returning sophomore Brady Russell and newcomer Jalen Harris (a grad transfer) are both getting plenty of snaps with the No. 1 offense.

The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Harris presents a big target, especially over the middle.

"He has done a fantastic job so far," Tucker said. "We told him we are going to throw the ball to the tight end. I think all of those tight ends has seen that in these first three practices. We are going to use the tight end in our offense. Jalen does a great job blocking as well. He also can catch the ball and runs good routes. He adds some depth to that portion that we were in great need of." …

One position in no shortage of players is running back, with no fewer than eight on the roster. Experience, however, is another story, with senior Beau Bisharat and sophomore Alex Fontenot the only backs who have seen anything resembling regular playing time.

"It is very competitive in our backfield right now," Tucker said. "We have more than one guy who can get the job done. We want to play multiple backs. We have some young guys that are going to push some of the older guys. I think it is a solid group and I look forward to them getting better together."

The group includes two members from the most-recent signing class, Joe Davis and Jaren Mangham, along with redshirt freshmen Deion Smith and Jarek Broussard. It's a position that quite likely will go into fall camp with plenty of competition and not much decided.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu