Cree Thomas didn’t come to Colorado carrying any hard feelings about Notre Dame. He said plainly there’s no bitterness toward the Fighting Irish or coach Marcus Freeman. He just wanted a reset, and the chance to work under Deion Sanders made the decision easy.
For Thomas, a cornerback and Phoenix native, the pull was simple: return to the West and sharpen his game under one of the most iconic corners football has ever known.
“I’m a corner. So getting to play for the greatest corner, I couldn’t pass it up,” Thomas said.
“I was super thankful for the opportunity and I wanted to jump on it. There was nothing bad or anything that happened at Notre Dame.
Super thankful for my time there. But I would just say it was just the opportunity.
I wanted to go out there and be able to showcase what I can do as an athlete.”
Thomas is part of a wave of newcomers the Buffs are leaning on as they try to reshape the defense. Some of that hope is tied to transfers up front making the jump to the power-conference level, but Colorado also brought in players with some big-school experience already in their pockets, even if the snaps haven’t always piled up.
Linebacker Liona Lefau arrives with 22 starts and 42 appearances over three seasons at Texas. Defensive back Boo Carter played in 21 games with five starts in two seasons at Tennessee before being dismissed from the team last year.
Thomas appeared in three games as a true freshman at Notre Dame. Colorado expects all three to matter.
And for Thomas, the coaching has been as valuable as the move itself. He said Sanders has been especially hands-on, and that part of the experience has surprised him in the best way.
“Something that a lot of people don’t realize is just how personable he is,” Thomas said. “I feel like he really has a relationship with most players on our team.
He’s talking to everyone individually. As a coach, I feel like I’ve gotten a lot of one-on-one just mentoring from him.
It’s been a blessing. I’m taking I everything I can from him.
If he says something to me out at practice, I’ll go right into the locker room and write it down.”
Brady Kopetz, now in his fifth year at tight end, is one of the few Buffs who lived through the 1-11 season in 2022 that helped set all of this in motion. Speaking to the media Thursday, he drew a straight line between that group and the current one - at least in one important way.
The talent level, he said, is not the same. But the bond is.
“Everyone on this team cares about each other. I can’t reiterate that enough,” Kopetz said.
“It is a brotherhood. It feels like that ’22 team.
That ’22 team was very close, because we all hung out with each other. Although we didn’t have the results on the field, we were a very close, tight-knit group.
This team feels like that with a hundred times the talent. This team really feels like we are going to shock the world.”
Colorado’s preseason recognition keeps piling up, too.
Last week, Lefau and Gideon Lampron landed on the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award, which goes to the nation’s top linebacker. This week, more Buffs joined the list of nationally watched names.
Kam Perry and Danny Scudero were placed on the Biletnikoff Award watch list for the country’s top receiver, Alabama transfer Richard Young was added to the Doak Walker Award watch list for the nation’s top running back, and on Thursday DeKalon Taylor made the Comeback Player of the Year watch list. Taylor was one of 94 players selected after putting up 106 receiving yards and two touchdowns, along with 83 rushing yards, in four games last year before a season-ending injury.
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Colorado Hype Is Growing As Buffs Talent Starts Drawing National Buzz
Colorados talent is starting to get noticed well beyond Boulder, and the preseason award circuit is providing another sign of how much buzz is building around the program. Six Buffaloes were included on national watch lists for 2026 honors, a reminder that this roster is no longer flying under the radar as the season approaches.
Kam Perry and Danny Scudero landed on the Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List, Richard Young was recognized as a Doak Walker Award candidate, and DeKalon Taylor made the Comeback Player of the Year Watch List. DeAndre Moore Jr. and Boo Carter also earned spots on the Senior Bowl Top 300, giving Colorado a spread of recognition across offense, defense and special teams that should only add to the expectations around this group. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Has A Transfer Defender Suddenly Pushing For A Real Role
Colorados defensive line has been one of the quieter camp battlegrounds, but Samu Taumanupepe has made it one of the more interesting ones. After arriving from Baylor following stops with Texas A&M and limited on-field opportunity, the transfer defensive tackle struggled through spring, then turned around enough in fall camp to draw strong notice from defensive line coach Dante Carter. For a program trying to deepen its front, that kind of shift can change the tone of an entire rotation.
Taumanupepes timing makes the development even more notable. Colorado is heading into its Big 12 opener against Baylor, the team he transferred away from, and the matchup offers a clean reminder of how much his role has changed since spring. Whether he ends up as more than a camp success story will be decided in game action, but he has clearly worked his way into the conversation for a real spot on the field. [Read more 🡒]
JaQuail Smith Could Be A Bigger Colorado Factor Than Fans Realize
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Smith, who spoke to the media during fall camp, looks like the kind of runner who can carve out a role even in a crowded room. Colorado expects to lean on a committee in the backfield, with Smith joining Alabama transfer Richard Young, Henderson and returning rusher Micah Welch, but Smiths blend of quickness, one-cut ability and a little power could make him more important than a typical depth piece as the season takes shape. [Read more 🡒]