Colorado University Athletics
New Defense Fits Strengths Of Buffs DBs
April 11, 2024 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — When Colorado's Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders hired Robert Livingston as his defensive coordinator in the offseason, it meant a significant change for the Buffaloes' secondary.
Instead of implementing a rigid scheme and expecting players to adjust, Livingston has been flexible. His plan has been to find his players' strengths, then fit the scheme to those strengths. That has meant an emphasis on versatility, some position switches — and perhaps most importantly, what CU coaches believe will be a much-improved back end of the defense.
Last season, the Buffaloes were 123rd in the nation against the pass, giving up 277 yards per game and 12.35 yards per completion — despite the presence of one of the country's best defenders, cornerback Travis Hunter.
"Rob is going to make the players make the plays, not just the system," Buffs cornerbacks coach Kevin Mathis told the media Thursday morning. "When Rob got here, he wanted to evaluate the talent that we have in the room and then make that happen. He was able to make some calls and make some adjustments to the defense to fit what we have in the room and I think he's done a good job of that."
Mathis said players have embraced the new system, as it encourages versatility and emphasizes their abilities.
"The players understand that we want guys in position to make plays based off their ability," Mathis said. "That's huge for the players, knowing the calls are going to be made based on who we want to get in the game. Certain players do this good, they're gonna be the guys that are blitzing. Guys that cover good, they're gonna be the guys to cover. I think that's huge for the players to understand that."
One of the most significant changes of the new system has seen Hunter move inside and spend a good deal of time playing the nickel. Hunter, last season's Hornung Award winner, has proven adept at the switch, showing an ability to make stops in the run game while still providing excellent coverage in the passing game.
"He's able to get in there naturally and just play well," Mathis said. "With the system going in college football now, the best receivers are no longer on the outside. So with him, having the ability to go inside and us not lose a step on the outside is going to be real good for us. We can match up and be able to take away their best guy by putting Travis on the inside."
As for coverage on the outside, Mathis is leaning on a pair of incoming transfers, Preston Hodge (Liberty) and DJ McKinney (Oklahoma State).
"Preston has been doing pretty good," Mathis said. "He's playing inside and outside, which is something that's very valuable to us that allows Travis to move around and play the inside. When we can have him do that and be strong outside with Preston and a DJ it's gonna be a sight to see. We are excited about that."
McKinney played in all 14 games for OSU last season, finishing with 38 tackles.
"He's been really surprising," Mathis said, "The way he reacts, the way he understands and wants to be coached. He understands he's got a ways to go. But he's able to come in and every day give us everything he's got. His knowledge, his ability to play on the football field has been amazing. We knew we were getting a player but we didn't know we were getting a leader off the field."
One player Mathis had last year at corner, Omarion Cooper, has made the switch to safety where CU coaches believe they can make better use of his talents. Cooper transferred to Colorado last season from Florida State and started eight games for the Buffs.
"He's really stepped up to the challenge of playing more safety, coming down covering tight ends," Mathis said. "That's his strength with the defense that we have put in. He understands what we need from him. And he's doing a good job. He's a leader back there and he's really taken the young guys under his wing."
Players Mentioned
