{"id":785573,"date":"2026-03-02T01:04:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T01:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/785573\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T01:04:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T01:04:17","slug":"5-storylines-to-watch-as-deion-sanders-colorado-begin-spring-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/785573\/","title":{"rendered":"5 storylines to watch as Deion Sanders, Colorado begin spring practices"},"content":{"rendered":"

The reset button was pushed this offseason and now it\u2019s time to get back to work.<\/p>\n

Heading into Deion Sanders\u2019 fourth season, the Colorado football team looks completely different. Almost the entire roster and the majority of the coaching staff has been turned over in the last three years.<\/p>\n

Now, with a few dozen new transfers in the fold, the Buffaloes will be putting in place a new offense and a new defense as the team kicks off spring ball with the first of 15 practices on Monday in Boulder, all leading up to Black & Gold Day on April 11 at Folsom Field.<\/p>\n

Here are five storylines to watch:<\/p>\n

Julian Lewis and the \u201cGoGo\u201d offense<\/p>\n

\"\"UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion in the second half during an NCAA college football game against Syracuse, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Las Vegas. Syracuse won 44-41 in overtime. (AP Photo\/Rick Scuteri)<\/p>\n

Despite a solid transfer portal class, the biggest addition the Buffs made this winter was new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, who replaced the outgoing Pat Shurmur, the longtime NFL coach who spent the last three seasons in Boulder before having play-calling duties stripped by the end of the 2025 season. With Marion comes his \u201cGoGo\u201d offense that he has used for nearly a decade, dating back to when he was the offensive coordinator at Howard. It\u2019s an intriguing fit for Julian \u201cJuJu\u201d Lewis, the returning starter at quarterback who is more of a pro-style player, as the \u201cGoGo\u201d offense is an up-tempo offense designed to utilize multiple running backs with an emphasis on downhill rushing attacks. How Lewis is used, as well as the new-look running back and wide receiver rooms, is the biggest storyline to watch this spring.<\/p>\n

A brand-new defense<\/p>\n

\"\"Virginia Tech defensive coordinator\/linebackers coach Chris Marve speaks to players during the NCAA college football team\u2019s practice in Blacksburg, Va., Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (Matt Gentry\/The Roanoke Times via AP, File)<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the first time that Coach Prime has had to replace multiple coordinators in a single offseason, but it\u2019s certainly not an ideal scenario. Just a few days before spring ball began, CU lost promising defensive coordinator Robert Livingston to the Broncos and promoted new linebackers coach Chris Marve to fill the role after he arrived in December. The former Virginia Tech coordinator will have a clean slate to work with as the Buffs return almost zero key defensive contributors from last year\u2019s team. That side of the ball has been rebuilt with productive transfers, but now it\u2019s on Marve to lead that unit back in the right direction as a whole after a disappointing 2025 season.<\/p>\n

The offensive line<\/p>\n

\"\"California offensive lineman Leon Bell (55) reacts after a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA football game against Boston College on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Chestnut Hill, Mass. (AP Photo\/Greg M. Cooper)<\/p>\n

The biggest loss of the offseason came up front, with star left tackle Jordan Seaton cashing in after an impressive first two seasons in Boulder and joining Lane Kiffin at LSU ahead of what will likely be his final season of college football. The Buffs return two offensive linemen who played significant snaps last season in Yahya Attia and Larry Johnson III, but it feels like all five starting spots will be up for grabs over the next few months in the lead-up to the 2026 season. Veteran transfers Taj White (Rutgers), Leon Bell (Cal), Bo Hughley (Georgia) and Jayven Richardson (Missouri) are players to watch.<\/p>\n

Gold jackets depart<\/p>\n

\"\"Colorado defensive pass rush coordinator Warren Sapp in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/p>\n

Suddenly, NFL experience isn\u2019t the end-all be-all for coaches on the CU staff. A year after the Buffs were boasting about having three Pro Football Hall of Famers on staff, they are back down to just one in Sanders after both Warren Sapp and Marshall Faulk, who took the head coaching job at Southern University, departed the program this offseason. Now, the Buffs have gone from two coordinators with NFL experience to zero and have made several internal promotions of several relative unknowns in the coaching world who were either analysts or graduate assistants last season. The biggest name to join the coaching staff is former NFL safety Vonn Bell, who won a national championship at Ohio State in 2015 before playing for nearly a decade as a pro. This is his first coaching job.<\/p>\n

New-look spring format coming?<\/p>\n

\"\"Colorado head coach Deion Sanders takes the field during an NCAA college football spring game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP PhotoJack Dempsey)<\/p>\n

Could spring games be making a return? After several Power 4 programs canceled their spring games in recent years, the new changes to the college football calendar should make this a fun time of the year again. For starters, there is no longer a transfer portal window following spring ball, meaning coaches will be less worried about other teams coming in and attempting to poach their players if they have a big performance in a spring game. While it\u2019s unlikely for anything to materialize this spring, maybe Sanders\u2019 idea of playing a spring game against another team, like he tried to do with Syracuse last year, is no longer far-fetched and could become something programs across the country try to do as they look for ways to increase competition and development for their players.<\/p>\n


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