Menu
What's new
By:
Filters
AllBuffs | Unofficial fan site for the University of Colorado at Boulder Athletics programs

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Prime Time. Prime Time. Its a new era for Colorado football. Consider signing up for a club membership! For $20/year, you can get access to all the special features at Allbuffs, including club member only forums, dark mode, avatars and best of all no ads ! But seriously, please sign up so that we can pay the bills. No one earns money here, and we can use your $20 to keep this hellhole running. You can sign up for a club membership by navigating to your account in the upper right and clicking on "Account Upgrades". Make it happen!

2017 Defense

PAC MAN

PAC MAN

Tekken Masher.
Club Member
Given that we are losing quite a few players from the defense, I'm curious what next season's defense could look like?
 
I feel good about the DBs...the guys behind the seniors are playing well. I don't see LBs improving and still the weakness of the D. The DL needs some size now! Until we bulk up w a JUCO or 2, I'm most concerned about this group.

JMFL staying is key too.
 
Losing Tupou will hurt the most, IMO. I'm optimistic about the DBs. That DL, though... need to have guys step up who haven't seen a lot of playing time.
 
I was thinking about this last night. I don't think the LB options are bad. McCartney, Gamboa, Gillam, Falo, Lewis. Safeties are solid with Moeller, Laguda, and Fisher. At CB Oliver is a stud, Julimesse got some PT this year. Need to find a couple guys there. DL is a concern. Should at least be ok, but the offense should be great. So we don't need a top 10 defense.
 
This is what I have it projected to look like right now.
84216eeb96903431267ba625c3768cf1.png
We need to add some JUCO DL, and hopefully Lewis (and possibly Bisharat) can challenge at ILB. We really need McCartney to come back next year. I assume Wigley takes Chido's place, perhaps switching between CB and NB and Julmisse playing the role Oliver had this year. Moeller has his special role as well and would like to see that again.
 
Last edited:
As long as Leaviitt is here I think there is very little to worry about. The d line lacks depth but I feel good about the projected starters next year and would be shocked if they didn't come back averaging 20lbs per man bigger. The DB's will be a strength again and I think the linebackers will be better. Mostly because Gilliam gets a full healthy off season for the first time in his career. Expect him to be the most improved next year.
 
The key is finding someone with the size and strength to replace Topou. He should have been first team all conference. If we get a Jc DT like Edwards, Franke could play a more natural position and be very disruptive. Jackson and Coleman are solid. The rest are young and unknown.
This years defense was special. I step back is inevitable, but hopefully not too far back.
 
Our 2016 defense hasn't pressured passers a ton.

With McCartney coming back and RS Freshmen Pookie Maka and Akil Jones, I think our pass rush could improve.

I'm also hoping Bisharat makes the switch to ILB...
 
Jaximus said:
Our 2016 defense hasn't pressured passers a ton.

With McCartney coming back and RS Freshmen Pookie Maka and Akil Jones, I think our pass rush could improve.

I'm also hoping Bisharat makes the switch to ILB...
Click to expand...
Pookie Maka is going on a two year mission trip. Hopefully his body can mature and fill out. From everything I've read he's pretty skinny for P5 football.
 
To be good, several guys will have to make big jumps, which seems unlikely.
 
If we don't find a true nose tackle (and let's face it, the Joel Steeds and Josh Tupous are hard to find), then the defense will have to change a bit--maybe a more disruptive DL, but less stout against the run. Should be interesting to see how things shake out.
 
LBs will improve. Losing KO and Jimmie hurts, but Derek returns along with Gillam, Gamboa, Falo, Lewis, Moeller, Shaver, Jones, Bennion and Headley (possibly Maka, depending on mission). That's a lot of guys with another year of experience and another offseason of training, along with freshmen coming in and White likely to return. Also, Hamilton comes in from JUCO to do Jimmie's pass rushing stuff.

DBs have the pieces to be good. Not as good as 2016, but still a good secondary. Pencil depth looks like the following, before competition starts:
NB - Wigley
CB1 - Oliver
CB2 - Julmisse
SS - Laguda
FS - Fisher
Blackmon & Udoffia will get a chance to show what they can do at CB, as will Trego & Sanchez at S. Plus, we'll have some more recruits coming in.

DL is where I'm most concerned. We have a lot of guys who look like rotational players. Jackson, Coleman, Tonz, Franke, Lopez, Tuiloma, Mathewes, Umu and Roberts. Some of these guys need to step up and we probably still need to get a starter or two out of this recruiting class, though the recruits on board so far do look like good players.
 
Last edited:
Assuming a get a decent JUCO NT, I think our defense will still be better than 50% of the P12.

I am not concerned about a HUGE drop off on pass defense. Oliver leads another crop of good athletes in our DB.

Gamboa and Gillam are back on the inside with NJ and McCartney at OLB which ain't bad.
 
If we do not get a JUCO NT that can provide some semblance of stability in the middle, I don't think it's out of the question to see a different defensive front utilized for our "base" package.
 
if we keep levitt here the d will at least hold its own...im hoping for improvement on the other side of the ball
 
If worst comes to worst, can Tuiloma play NG? He should have the size. If all we are asking him to do is plug up the A-gap, can he pull that off?
 
DE - Timothy Coleman - Senior ; Frank Umu - Sophomore
NT - Michael Mathews - Junior ; eddie lopez - junior
DE - Jase Frank** - junior ; Leo Jackson III - Senior ; Sam Bennion*** - Sophomore
LOLB - Derek McCartney - senior ; terran hasselbach - junior
MLB - Drew Lewis*** - Junior ; Pookie Make*** - Sophomore
MLB - Rick Gamboa - Junior ; Addison Gillam - Senior ; Akil Jones*** - Sophomore
ROLB - Christina Shaver - Senior ; NJ Falo - Junior
CB Isiah Oliver - Senior ; Ronnie Blackmon*** - Sophomore
CB Tony Julmisse*** - Sophomore ; Andrew Bergner - Senior ; Trey Udoffia*** - Sophomore
FS Ryan Moeller - Senior ; Afolabi Laguda - Senior ; Jaisen Sanchez** - Junior
SS Nick Fischer*** - Junior ; Kyle Trego - Junior

This is not locked in stone, but what i've seen from various depth charts. Clarify if i'm wrong anywhere or on class year. This does not take into account any recruits coming in as it's hard to count on them until LOI is signed. Definitely some transition coming up. I still like our DB's and I think we can be effective with the young guys we have at LB coming back or getting healthy. DL is the area where i'm most concerned. We will miss the bulk we had upfront with Carroll, Tupou and company, especially at NT. We will lack size at NT. Part of the reason our defense was good this year is limiting the run, locking down the pass with our DB's. I have confidence should Levitt come back, he will get this unit going in the right direction. I think we will be as fast, if not more so but size will be an issue up front.
 
Saw no mention of Eddy Lopez...didn't see much of him this season. Any idea why?
 
bpc5180 said:
DE - Timothy Coleman - Senior ; Frank Umu - Sophomore
NT - Michael Mathews - Junior ; eddie lopez - junior
DE - Jase Frank** - junior ; Leo Jackson III - Senior ; Sam Bennion*** - Sophomore
LOLB - Derek McCartney - senior ; terran hasselbach - junior
MLB - Drew Lewis*** - Junior ; Pookie Make*** - Sophomore
MLB - Rick Gamboa - Junior ; Addison Gillam - Senior ; Akil Jones*** - Sophomore
ROLB - Christina Shaver - Senior ; NJ Falo - Junior
CB Isiah Oliver - Senior ; Ronnie Blackmon*** - Sophomore
CB Tony Julmisse*** - Sophomore ; Andrew Bergner - Senior ; Trey Udoffia*** - Sophomore
FS Ryan Moeller - Senior ; Afolabi Laguda - Senior ; Jaisen Sanchez** - Junior
SS Nick Fischer*** - Junior ; Kyle Trego - Junior

This is not locked in stone, but what i've seen from various depth charts. Clarify if i'm wrong anywhere or on class year. This does not take into account any recruits coming in as it's hard to count on them until LOI is signed. Definitely some transition coming up. I still like our DB's and I think we can be effective with the young guys we have at LB coming back or getting healthy. DL is the area where i'm most concerned. We will miss the bulk we had upfront with Carroll, Tupou and company, especially at NT. We will lack size at NT. Part of the reason our defense was good this year is limiting the run, locking down the pass with our DB's. I have confidence should Levitt come back, he will get this unit going in the right direction. I think we will be as fast, if not more so but size will be an issue up front.
Click to expand...

If you're going off depth charts, that's why your positions are way off. Mathewes, for example, is not and never has been a NT.
 
My feeling is that we're going to be good in the backfield. Maybe not great like this year, but still good.

The linebacking play will continue to improve. I'm not terribly concerned.

DL is going to be the big question mark. Undersized DLs will be abused against USC, UW, and UCLA.
 
Quick note: If Tuiloma doesn't develop and the coaches are unable to find a "0" technique NT from the Juco ranks, Leavitt is going to have to adjust the defense.

It is possible to play a 3-4 (or 5-2 Under) with a one-gap NT. Different concepts than this year and more aggressive. We currently do some of that in obvious passing situation when Tupou was leaving the field this season. Not ideal since it limits the scheme versus how multiple the defense was up front this year, but some NFL teams do run a 1-gap 3-4 effectively and I just wanted to make the point that this is possible with CU's current personnel without having to switch to a 4-3 base.
 
Buffnik said:
If you're going off depth charts, that's why your positions are way off. Mathewes, for example, is not and never has been a NT.
Click to expand...

First depth chart of year had him listed there. I thought it was questionable but what I saw.
 
bpc5180 said:
First depth chart of year had him listed there. I thought it was questionable but what I saw.
Click to expand...

For sure. I remember those depth charts. Part of the reason they stopped doing them, I think, was because they were so obviously B.S. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top