Colorado University Athletics
Coach Prime's Buffs Set For Spring Game
April 21, 2023 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado football fans will get their first glimpse of the Buffaloes in the Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders era on Saturday when the Buffs partake in the Black and Gold Spring Game.
The sold-out event, set to kick off at 1 p.m. at Folsom Field, will be televised by ESPN and broadcast by KHOW radio (630 AM).
Buffs fans anxious to see just how much has changed in the few short months since Sanders was hired won't have to wait long to see the changes.
For starters, Colorado's roster has undergone a dramatic reshaping with more on the way. Virtually every position group on the field will have new faces, as roughly half the current roster is made up of players who weren't in Boulder a year ago.
The entire coaching staff is also new, as are the schemes of offensive coordinator Sean Lewis and his defensive counterpart, Charles Kelly. The two spent 14 spring practices and countless classroom hours installing their new schemes, and Saturday will give both a chance to see how their units perform in a game-type atmosphere rather than practice.
But don't expect to see too much. This is, after all, a televised event and CU coaches aren't going to show anything that might tip off an opponent next fall when the games count.
"We're gonna have a vanilla call sheet and we're gonna go play fast and allow the opportunity for the guys to go make plays," Lewis said after Friday's practice. "You'll see all the hard work that they've put in this spring really come to fruition in front of our fans, and obviously a great national television audience. So it's gonna be a lot of fun."
Lewis brings with him a rapid-paced offense that is designed to keep a defense on its heels. While one big part of the offense is geared toward getting the ball to playmakers in space, it also depends on a productive run game that prevents defenses from concentrating too much on the passing game.
That means Colorado fans should get at least a taste of what quarterback Shedeur Sanders can do, as well as a group of receivers that have already enjoyed their share of big-play moments in spring ball — including newcomers Jimmy Horn Jr. and Travis Hunter.
CU fans should also get a first look at new running back Dylan Edwards, the beginning of a remade offensive line, and some new faces at tight end as well.
But while there will no doubt be opportunities for some big moments, Lewis will also be looking for another quality: consistency.
"As a play caller, I'm looking for the guys who are consistently good, not occasionally great," he said. "Those are the guys that you're going to call plays for, those are guys you're going to build a game plan around."
Kelly, meanwhile, will be looking for much of the same on the defensive side. His unit has spent the spring trying to keep up with the pace established by the offense — and the defense also has plenty of new faces in lots of places.
"We want to make sure that we see the same improvement that we have throughout spring when it comes to fundamentals," Kelly said. "First of all, it's about how we play, not exactly what we do. When I say that we want to make sure we're playing fast and we're playing physical. We've made a lot of improvements in tackling from practice to practice from scrimmage to scrimmage so I want to be able to see those things."
Kelly, who coached the last four seasons at Alabama before taking the DC's job at Colorado, has installed a scheme that requires more man-to-man coverage from his defensive backs than the Buffs employed in recent seasons.
"I want to see how we make adjustments in a game-type situation," he said. "We want to find out who can guard guys man-to-man and how we play."
The Buffs also have a host of transfer newcomers on the defensive side, ranging from defensive linemen Shane Cokes (Dartmouth) and Jordan Domineck (Arkansas) to linebacker LaVonta Bentley (Clemson) to safety Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig (Jackson State).
But the biggest focus on the defensive side will be the most fundamental part of the game — tackling. In a day and age where offenses spend the majority of time trying to get the ball into space, the job of tackling has become vital.
"It doesn't matter what defense you run, you have to be able to get off blocks and tackle," Kelly said. "We put a big emphasis on that. I've seen some improvement … but it's been a learning experience for everybody."
Players Mentioned
