Quinn Perry (12) faces the Gophers at the football game against Minnesota on September 18, 2021. (Io Hartman/CU Independent).
The Colorado Buffaloes’ defense looks strong as the new coaching staff and players gain their first opportunity to work together on the field.
The Buffs have been practicing intensively with head coach Deion Sanders to change the direction of their gameplay, hoping to improve after an abysmal 1-11 record last season.
“I’m excited about what I saw today, and they competed tremendously,” said Sanders. “I’m old school; I come from a place where you have to earn it.”
New defensive lineman Shane Cokes, a transfer from Dartmouth, will play a versatile piece on defensive coordinator Charles Kelly’s defensive line.
“I’ve been in practice for three days and already feel like a better player,” explained Cokes. “It shows who’s a competitor and who’s not, like, okay, I don’t have a number, but I’m going to get one. It just makes you become a better player. I’m no number now, but I’m gonna get that number this day or the next day, and I’m gonna keep trying until I get that number.”
Other players that will be key factors in the defense’s success are sophomore safety Trevor Woods and junior cornerback Nikko Reed. These two players were a couple of the best-performing defensive players last season and will be leaders as CU revamps its leaky defense with new players.
Last season the Buffaloes were faced with finding a new defensive coordinator that would bring the Buff’s defense back. Coach Charles Kelly was brought on to the Buffs coaching staff late last year after coaching at Alabama for the past four years.
“The one thing about coaching is that you have to adapt to what you have,” Kelly expressed in an interview. “We know what we want to recruit and what values we want in players. When you do things defensively, you want to ensure you do things that fit the players.”
This is going to be a big part of what the defensive line and the team, in general, will presumably bring to the table during the Spring Game, and hopefully, they don’t stop there. It’s also looking like they’re going to bring the heat during this Fall 2023-24 season. The players are showing they want it and plan to get it.
The Colorado Buffaloes’ work during the spring will hit its pinnacle at the Black and Gold Spring Game on April 22 at 1 p.m. MST to showcase some of their efforts and what they intend to bring to the field come September.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Avery Hirsch at avery.hirsch@colorado.edu.
