Harrison Boosts Buffs TE Room
August 17, 2023 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Of all the returning players who survived the Colorado Buffaloes' roster remake, tight end Michael Harrison might have the most unlikely story.
Just a year ago, Harrison was a seldom-used walkon wide receiver for the Buffs who saw most of his playing time on special teams. He did get some snaps on offense in the 2022 season and finished with two catches for 12 yards.
Then came the hiring of Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders and an entirely new coaching staff, whose first order of business was to rebuild Colorado's roster from the ground up in the wake of last season's 1-11 finish.
But as a walkon, Harrison flew below the radar for the most part. He stuck around, had a solid, productive spring session and began looking forward to the fall.
The Buffs, though, continued to load up at wide receiver. Along with two-way standout Travis Hunter, they also added transfers Jimmy Horn Jr., Javon Antonio and Xavier Weaver, all of whom were immediately expected to compete for starting jobs.
And Harrison?
CU's coaches took a look at his 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame and figured he might be able to help at another position, one at which the Buffs did not have nearly so much depth.
Now, Harrison — still a walkon — has a very good chance of being the Buffaloes' starting tight end on Sept. 2 when CU opens the season at TCU. He has been running with the No. 1 offense almost since the beginning of fall camp and has been a steady, reliable performer at a position he never really considered until coaches approached him after spring ball.
"It definitely took some convincing," Harrison said after Thursday's practice. "I've played receiver my whole life. When when (wide receivers coach Brett Bartolone) and (tight ends coach Tim Brewster) brought it to my attention, obviously I thought about it. The way they presented it was it would be a better opportunity for me to get on the field. As a player, that's all you want. So I thought it over and I've done everything I can just to have the best mindset and have a positive mindset about doing that position change."
Thus far, the transition has been a successful one. Harrison has made plays consistently in the passing game and has quickly adapted to the task of blocking in the run game.
He admits the second part of that equation hasn't been easy. Instead of blocking cornerbacks and safeties, and maybe the occasional linebacker, he's expected to stand his ground against defensive ends and tackles.
But so far, so good — enough so that Brewster continues to be encouraged by what he's seeing.
"My profile for a tight end is a receiver-trained guy, a guy that's got receiving ability," Brewster said. "Then what I love to do is impose my mindset, impose my will on them to make them physical in the run game. You don't have to be a road grader, but you have to fundamentally compete on every snap. Mike has embraced that. He's gotten bigger. He's not a liability in the run game and he can be a real plus in the pass game."
Harrison has added about 15 pounds to his frame since the spring and now weighs about 225. He'd like to add maybe five more pounds, which would give him the bulk to deal with defensive lineman while still not hindering his speed and quickness.
The Buffs have been hit hard by the injury bug at tight end, with returnees Louis Passarello and Caleb Fauria both out. Passarello could be out for a significant length of time but Brewster expressed hope that Fauria could be back relatively soon.
"He is getting closer by the day to being ready to get back into live action," Brewster said. "I'm really encouraged by what I'm seeing from Caleb. He's a guy who's played a little bit here at Colorado, obviously has a tremendous bloodline. I love his size (6-5, 245), he's athletic and he can do some things."
In the meantime, though, the Buffs are also getting some good repetitions from another walkon, Elijah Yelverton, a transfer from Iowa.
"He's a great kid," Brewster said. "The guys in my room have totally bought into what I'm trying to teach, what I'm trying to coach — and I coach with a chip on my shoulder. I want them to play with a chip on their shoulder every day. And Eli is going to give you everything he's got."
HIGH PRAISE FOR SANDERS: Brewster said his tight ends room has a responsibility to live up to the play of the team's starting quarterback, Shedeur Sanders.
"We have an absolutely elite — I'm talking about top-level elite — quarterback," Brewster said. "The challenge for us offensively is us to meet him on his level from an intellectual basis and physically. I've been around a whole bunch of good quarterbacks, in the NFL, college, and this guy right now is playing with confidence and poise. He processes so extremely well. He's doing an amazing job and so that's the challenge that's with my guys."
PRACTICE REPORT: Four of five starting jobs on the offensive line appear to be in place: left tackle Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan, left guard Jack Bailey, center Van Wells and right tackle Savion Washington. Still battling at right guard are Landon Bebee and Jack Wilty …
Freshman running back Dylan Edwards is getting more and more time with the No. 1 offense and continues to make plays. He had a 30-yard scoring run in Thursday's practice and also added a long gain on a short catch and run … RB Anthony Hankerson continues to make a bid for playing time …
QB Shedeur Sanders has displayed a great knack for reading the pocket and knowing how and when to extend plays with his legs without ever taking his eyes off his receivers downfield. He had excellent completions Thursday to Xavier Weaver, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Travis Hunter … Freshman QB Ryan Staub is making a strong bid for the No. 2 job and had a long completion to fellow freshman Chernet Estes … Horn had a diving grab for a completion … Hunter continues to show the ability to get open downfield …
Defensively, DL Leonard Payne Jr. is getting some quality snaps with the No. 1 unit … Khairi Manns, Arden Walker and Taijh Alston are getting first reps on the edge … DL Shane Cokes continues to be a solid presence inside … One position well-stocked in depth is safety and defensive coordinator Charles Kelly is making use of that depth by utilizing them in wide variety of roles.
