Last year:
As a right offensive guard, Sanders started every game last year. Sanders played 655 snaps last season, the third most of any Buffaloes linemen.
DANIEL SANDERS #75
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 310 pounds
Positon: right guard/center
Hometown: Vista, California
Experience: two letters
With Sanders blocking up front, running back Hugh Charles picked up 779 yards on the ground. Quarterback Bernard Jackson gained 667 via the run, while throwing for 1,298 yards through the air.
This season:
Sanders enters spring practice with the potential of a position change. Former centers Mark Fenton and Bryce MacMartin have completed their eligibility, and the Buffs are left without a center on the roster.
Sanders is practicing at center for spring ball, which he played often during his prep career. In high school, Sanders was called for only one penalty and did not allow a quarterback sack.
He is practicing at guard as well, so it remains to be seen where he will play during the upcoming season. With only six healthy linemen for the spring, the Buffs are a bit thin at offensive line and need Sanders to have a big year.
A great center can be a building block to a great team. This fall, Sanders looks to step in and lead the Buffs’ quarterback and running back combo to a successful 2007 campaign.
Straight from the player:
On the transition from right guard to center:
“It’s going pretty well. All the calls are the same. It’s just getting used to the new stances and sets. I am so much closer to the defense at center, so that will take some getting used to.”
On goals for spring:
“I’d like to get the offensive line together. I want to get us working well as one core unit and master the offense by the end of spring.”
On the biggest challenge of playing center:
“The biggest thing about center is that instead of having one side to worry about, you are in the middle of everything. You have to make the calls both ways and read the defenses for everyone.”
On how he feels about the team going into the season:
“We are going to be really strong next year. We have been through a lot over the last year and it has brought us all closer together. I feel that we are going to come out and surprise a lot of people, even though it will not surprise us at all.”
Coach Dan Hawkins:
On Sanders’ progress at center:
“He is doing well. But of all the positions, being out here in no pads makes it really hard to tell. He is a smart guy and that helps.
Contact Campus Press staff writer Ben Dignan at Benjamin.Dignan@thecampuspress.com
