Colorado safeties coach Vonn Bell has been around long enough to know the best players don’t just take coaching - they make it better. Randon Fontenette, by Bell’s telling, is one of those guys.
Bell said this week that the Colorado safety keeps him on his toes, even if he isn’t always the loudest voice in the room.
“Being a leader in the locker room, they lean on him for sure. He probably might not be the most vocal at times, but his play, guys follow him.
I keep on urging and encouraging him to bring along some of the young guys. . . . He’s a joy to coach.
He challenges me at times, but I love it. That's what comes with it,” Bell said on Wednesday.
The conversation, though, isn’t just about Fontenette’s personality or presence. Bell keeps coming back to the details - the kind of stuff that doesn’t always show up in a box score but shapes everything a safety does.
“I want the best for him; I want him making all the plays. I keep challenging him to do the little things, cause the little things take care of the big things. That's with your communication, your alignment, your assignment.”
That message fits the way Bell has approached the job since arriving in Boulder in February after a nine year stint in the NFL. He originally hoped to work as an analyst, but once he moved into coaching Colorado’s safeties, he described the relationship as something built on give and take.
“It’s a very talented group,” Bell told Colorado Athletics in March. “A lot of versatility, a lot of smart guys.
They’re challenging to me too. I’m excited to work withthem everyday.”
Fontenette is a natural match for that setup. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound defensive back transferred from Vanderbilt after two seasons at Dudley Field, where he started 24 games. He arrived in Boulder with plenty of college football already under his belt, which gives him room to question, push, and learn in the same breath.
That back-and-forth is part of what Bell seems to value most. He has the nine seasons of NFL experience to lean on, while Fontenette brings his own experience in different systems. Bell’s comments this week made it clear he likes a player who can make the coaching conversation a two-way street.
Fontenette has sounded much the same way when talking about Colorado’s defense. After the Weber State match, he didn’t point the finger at defensive coordinator Chris Marve. He put the responsibility on the players.
“It’s not the defensive scheme because Coach Marve is going to call a great game every time,” Fontenette said. “It’s really on us just owning up to doing our job and trusting each other.”
Bell has been preaching that same kind of discipline since spring, just in his own language. He has talked about safeties studying personnel, understanding down and distance, and recognizing what the offense is showing before the snap. Those are the details that determine whether a safety beats the play to the spot or ends up chasing it.
Fontenette can make the splash play. Bell keeps steering the discussion back to everything that has to happen before that moment.
Deion Sanders gave a similar read on Fontenette on Tuesday.
“He’s a big physical, pro-style safety. Loves the game.
Challenges his teammates. Has matured a lot, and I love it,” Sanders said.
“He practices right; therefore, he knows what he’s going to get out of the game because of the level of practice that he has. Proud of him.”
Fontenette will head back to his home state Saturday when Colorado plays Baylor. Bell will keep pressing him on the little things, and if his own words are any indication, Fontenette will keep asking questions that force his coach to stay sharp too.
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