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Two thumbs up! | Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffs will be competitive in the Big 12.

After losing six of their seven leading scorers, Tad Boyle has done an admirable job retooling the Colorado Buffaloes. First it was Trevor Baskin from Colorado Mesa, then Andrej Jakimovski from Washington State. Now, it’s Elijah Moore, a highly touted big man from Grace College.

Colorado doesn’t often recruit NAIA players, but Malone is different. He was the best player in the league the last two seasons and only stayed there — despite having very real D-I offers — out of loyalty to the coaching staff that recruited him from LaGrange, Indiana.

Malone is now leaving Grace after completing his four-year commitment. It was a battle to bring him to Boulder, with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish the toughest competition. Malone looks like a legit starter at the power conference level.

He’s an athletic 6’10 center who can defend the paint and rebound, although he’s relatively untested against D-I athletes. The more exciting bit is his offensive game, as he’s well-rounded, can shoot a bit, and is very comfortable in the five-out motion offense Boyle brought in this past season.

The Buffs still have one more open scholarship and are looking at lead guards that will compete for a starting job.

by Sam Metivier
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Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The rebuilding is still not done

The Colorado Buffaloes got better this week and last through the transfer portal as they seem to do every cycle of the transfer portal. Ryland has the goods on some of the most recent commitments from the spring game, but there are still plenty of impact players that the Buffs need to close on to hit some of their goals this year. These players have all visited in the last two weeks:

• LB Elijah Herring, Tennessee: The Volunteers’ leading tackler last year entered the transfer portal after being recruited over. He had 79 tackles last year, but is a run-first stopper who is a step slow for the modern game. He is, however, an upgrade over what the Buffs have right now in the linebacker room. I would feel a lot better if CU took a chance here.
• DT Derrick Harmon, Michigan State: Harmon is one of two starting defensive tackles in the portal for the Spartans. Harmon is more of an end hybrid, but he is nonetheless one of the best players in the portal and the Buffs are battling USC and Miami for his services. Get paid, young man.
• OT Andrew Chamblee and OL Paris Jefferson, Arkansas: Chamblee is one of the biggest prizes in the portal at 6’6 and over 300 pounds, with starts as a freshman in the SEC under his belt. He visited for the spring game with his teammate Paris Jefferson, who was also in the two deep for Arkansas. They would both add sizer and depth to the Buffs.
• Defensive backs please: This is not a specific player, this is a request. Please, Coach Prime. We need some corners and some safeties in Boulder.

If CU can land some or all of these players, the talent level, especially in the Big 12, is hard to deny. The defensive front seven would look drastically improved over last year and the offensive line would suddenly look a lot larger than it did last year. This should fit Pat Shurmur’s scheme a bit more, and who knows what Robert Livingston’s scheme will look in the fall.

CU has had more player movement than any other team in the country again this year, thought it is not quite what last year’s exodus looked like. When CU gets through this on the other side, it will be an improved team. How much they improve depends on this coaching staff.

by Jack Barsch
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Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Coach Prime is adding some young talent to prepare for the future

With all the effort that went into Colorado’s Black and Gold spring game, you’d think that Coach Prime would have less time to recruit some fresh talent. However, that clearly wasn't the case. Colorado’s staff managed to snag four key transfers last weekend, all of which largely flew under the radar. Allow us to break down who the newest Buffs are:

Clemson OL Zechariah Owens

This dude’s nickname is Flapjack and you don’t get the nickname Flapjack for no reason. That’s pretty much all you need to know about him. The 6-foot-6, 375 Ibs offensive lineman redshirted with the Tigers last season, playing only 13 snaps in two games.

Owens comes to Boulder with four years of eligibility left to play, which is absolutely massive for the Buffs. Given the opportunity to work with new offensive line coach Phil Loadholt, Owens has the potential to blossom into a key piece for the Buffaloes in the coming years. Owens is now likely the biggest lineman on Colorado’s roster at the moment and adding some size to the group is very welcome after 2023.

Auburn CB Colton Hood and RB Brandon Hood

So far this off-season, Coach Prime has added multiple pairs of siblings to the squad, namely LaJohntay and Jaylen Wester and Destin and Keaten Wade. Now, Auburn’s Colton and Brandon Hood join that group. The Hood brothers are now the fifth set of siblings on Colorado’s roster.

Colton played in three games last season with the Tigers, tallying three tackles. While he’s unlikely to play this year with Colorado’s insane depth at cornerback, Colton with have the opportunity to learn from greats like Deion Sanders and Travis Hunter. With four years of eligibility remaining, Colton adds some much needed young talent to the group.

Colton’s younger brother, Brandon, is a three-star running back prospect out of Georgia. Brandon is a speedster who also ran track in high school, so it’s quite natural to make the comparison between him and recent outgoing transfer Dylan Edwards. After getting offers from schools like Tennessee, LSU, Penn State, Michigan State and Mizzou, he ultimately chose to play with his brother in Boulder. Brandon’s addition adds another name to the Buffaloes’ running back room, which is quite shallow at the moment.

Former Michigan and Charlotte LB Nikhai Hill-Green

Colorado’s linebacker corps is currently loaded with experienced players with the likes of Trevor Woods and LaVonta Bentley, but adding even more experience is never a bad thing. That’s exactly what Colorado did with the addition of Nikhai Hill-Green.

Hill-Green started his college career at Michigan, where he totaled 51 tackles in 14 games with the Wolverines. After sitting out the 2022 season due to injury, Hill-Green transferred to UNC Charlotte and balled out for the 49ers. After picking up 73 tackles and third-team all-AAC honors, Hill-Green made the call to transfer to Boulder.

With two years of eligibility remaining, Hill-Green will fill in perfect as a hybrid LB/DE in Robert Livingston's defense for the foreseeable future.

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Three of these transfers likely play this season, but they’re integral pieces to Colorado’s success in the coming years. Adding young talent like this is also a potential indicator that Coach Prime wasn’t bluffing when he said he plans to stick around for a while. Regardless, we’re happy to have Colorado’s newest Buffs in town.

Welcome to Boulder, everyone!

by RylandScholes
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Before a soggy Buff Nation, CU conducted its Spring Game ... Which units stood out, and which units demonstrated that they are still a work in progress? ... If you were CU's general manager, which position groups would get the most attention for CU's remaining 12-15 open scholarships? ... Let's find out ...

Stuart
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Takeaways from the Spring Game: LaJohntay Wester a new star ... Spring game stats (Jeremiah Brown leads defense with seven tackles) ... Post-game press conferences: Coach Prime; QB Shedeur Sanders; freshly minted scholarship RB Charlie Offerdahl ...

Stuart
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