The Colorado Buffaloes’ coaching staff is built on experience. Put together, the staff has a combined 250 years of coaching experience and 59 years of NFL playing experience. But one coach has built up a different kind of experience that will have a major impact on the Buffs in 2026.
CU quarterbacks coach AJ Smith has been coaching in the United Football League (UFL) every spring since 2023. He’s been an offensive coordinator for the Houston Roughnecks, San Antonio Brahmas and St. Louis Battlehawks in that time, and now his extra experience can translate to the Buffs.
How AJ Smith’s experience has helped him develop the offense
Feb 23, 2023; Seattle, WA, USA; St. Louis Battlehawks wide receiver Hakeem Butler (88) runs towards the endzone to score a touchdown against the Seattle Sea Dragons during the second half at Lumen Field. St. Louis defeated Seattle 20-18. | USA TODAY Sports
While in the UFL, Smith had a number of highly talented wide receivers in his various offenses, like former Iowa State Cyclone Hakeem Butler and LSU Tiger Jontre Kirklin. Given these weapons, he learned how to build his offenses around them and train his quarterbacks to feature them.
“In six years we had four different quarterbacks who were No. 1 in spring football,” said Smith in his Aug. 24 press conference. “…That’s knowing your personnel, who your live guys are and featuring them with your quarterback. As much as we talk about scheme and everything, me and coach [Brennan] Marion were having this conversation, I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know what scheme I’m into anymore as much as I am personnel and fitting around the players you have.’”
Now at Colorado, he has an offense with six receivers who are all capable of being No. 1 targets: Joseph Williams, Danny Scudero, DeAndre Moore Jr., Kam Perry, Quentin Gibson and Ernest Campbell. As the quarterbacks coach, he can more easily train Julian Lewis to feature those guys in his offense due to his UFL experience.
What the UFL taught AJ Smith about coaching the Colorado Buffaloes
Coach AJ Smith, left, talks to quarterback Sam Mourhess during football practice at the Desert Chapel High School in Palm Springs, Calif., on August 12, 2025 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Smith also got experience calling plays as the offensive coordinator, which allowed him to see every aspect of an offense in different situations throughout the season.
“Any chance you get to call plays is a learning opportunity and a chance at growth,” Smith said. “You’re always going to get new challenges, new people, different scenarios because no one quarterback is exactly the same. Look at Bill Walsh; was the system the same for Steve Young and Joe Montana? No.”
In 2025, Colorado rotated through three different quarterbacks. Although the competition looks much more cut and dry in 2026, Smith now has experience handling a situation like that should it arise.
“So every year it’s a chance to evolve and see what personalities, what QB traits, strengths, weaknesses [your team has], and evolve your offense,” Smith said. “This past season, I had to have four different quarterbacks take snaps, but we still led the league in passing because we found a way. So it was a glimpse at the challenges you go through in seasons like that.”
AJ Smith’s experience learning from UFL coaches
Mar 31, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Brahmas head coach Wade Phillips looks on in the first half against the DC Defenders at The Alamodome. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Another bonus that Smith gained from his time in the UFL was experience coaching alongside some of the game’s greats. Most notably, Smith worked alongside Wade Phillips, who was the head coach of the Brahmas from 2024 to 2025.
“Wade Phillips every day, that’s a challenge,” Smith said. “When you try to go learn something from him- this is a classic Wade answer, you’d say, ‘Hey coach, what gives you problems in this [offense]?’ ‘Nothing’…That’s what made me say I was going to be a passing coach, because you can draw up any defense to stop a run, and I got him to say one ‘But,’ and it was [a quarterback throwing] the perfect pass.”
Learning from a coach the caliber of Phillips is invaluable when entering a grueling Big 12 schedule. Given the defenses he’ll see on some of the conference’s top teams, he’ll now be able to pull from that experience and utilize the creativity it forced him to develop against those tough schemes.
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