By Alec Nederveld
With a total of 46 departures and 38 additions from the Transfer Portal, the Colorado Buffaloes have certainly changed their roster. Last time, I looked at the offense, which I believe Colorado improved on. Today, it’s the defense’s turn.
Defensive Line
Anquin Barnes, Rayyan Buell, Taurean Carter, BJ Green, Dayon Hayes, Chidozie Nwankwo, Samuel Okunlola, Quency Wiggins (In)
Eric Brantley Jr., JJ Hawkins, Bishop Thomas, Chazz Wallace (Out)
The Buffaloes add a lot of talent to an ineffective front four from a season ago. BJ Green will make an instant impact on the interior, he was an All-Pac 12 honoree at Arizona State a season ago. A pair of Pitt Panthers, Dayon Hayes and Samuel Okunlola will also improve the rotation. I also like Quency Williams coming from LSU.
For the number of players arriving, Colorado isn’t losing many from the portal. Many of the Buffaloes’ top players on the DL a year ago like Jordan Domineck, Leonard Payne, and Taijh Alston are out of eligibility. Eric Brantley Jr. was a 2024 recruit and was seen as one of the Buffaloes’ better recruits, but the other three departures didn’t play much. With the addition of four players coming in, many being quality players, the defensive line has improved.
Position Group: Upgraded
Linebackers
Johnny Chaney Jr., Nikhai Hill-Green, Keaten Wade, Nikhil Webb Walker, Jaylen Wester (In)
Marvin Ham, Deeve Harris, Victory Johnson, Demouy Kennedy, Khairi Manns, Kofi Taylor-Barrocks (Out)
The Buffaloes primarily targeted experienced players from lower levels. Of the five incoming linebackers, only Kentucky’s Keaten Wade comes from the Power Five. Other than Wade, everybody started multiple games a season ago. Two players received all-conference recognition, Nikhai Hill-Green was third-team All-AAC, and Johnny Chaney Jr. was second-team All-SWAC.
Colorado’s linebacker departures weren’t very serious. Victory Johnson, Demouy Kennedy, and Kofi Taylor-Barrocks didn’t record any stats. Only Marvin Ham started (five games), although his snaps diminished as the season moved on. While adjusting to the now-Power Four can be a challenge for players, I believe that overall, the Buffaloes improved their linebacking core.
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Position Group: Improved
Cornerbacks
Preston Hodge, Colton Hood, DJ McKinney, Ivan Yates (In)
Kyndrich Breedlove, Andi Etok, Adam Hopkins, Cormani McClain, Israel Solomon (Out)
The allure of being coached by the great cornerbacks of all time is one of the allures of Colorado. It worked for top recruits Travis Hunter and Cormani McClain, although the latter for only a year. McClain, alongside Kyndrich Breedlove and Adam Hopkins were all promising young corners and are big losses.
Preston Hodge and Ivan Yates are veterans with starting experience, although come from smaller schools. DJ McKinney and Colton Hood are promising young corners with three years to play from Oklahoma State and Auburn respectively. While I’m especially high on McKinney, I understand that the departing youth will hurt too much in the long run.
Position Group: Downgraded
Safeties
RJ Johnson, Savion Riley (In)
Jaden Milliner-Jones, Myles Slusher, Vito Tisdale (Out)
Compared to most other positions, Colorado didn’t have much turnover in the safety room. Myles Slusher was a week one starter, although battled injuries. Jaden Milliner-Jones may be a bigger loss, as he played in all 12 games with a start as a True Freshman. Finally, Vito Tisdale didn’t play much, only logging three defensive snaps.
In contrast, the Buffaloes add youth and SEC experience from RJ Johnson and Savion Riley. They come from Arkansas and Vanderbilt respectively, with four and three years of eligibility remaining. Neither was particularly highly rated in high school, although Riley was productive last season with 48 tackles (34 solo). He also spent his spring in Miami before being the Buffaloes’ most recent transfer. This one is close, but I’ll say Colorado upgraded here due to their youth
Position Group: Upgraded
Special Teams
Cameron Warchuck (Out)
Long snappers are people too right? Colorado’s only portal involvement in the special teams comes from LS Cameron Warchuck. The walk-on will head to Washington.
Position Room: Downgraded
Overall
Between offense and defense, I believe Colorado improved at six positions and regressed at four, and thus, improved their roster in the transfer portal. However, that is contingent on chemistry and how well players adjust to Colorado. We will see all the roster changes in action when the Buffaloes start their season vs. FCS Powerhouse North Dakota State on August 29th.
