Lamont Lester Jr. barely had time to unpack his arrival in Boulder before he made noise across the Big 12.
In his first game for Colorado, the Monmouth transfer piled up all three of the Buffaloes’ sacks and helped bottle up Georgia Tech’s ground game in a 14-13 win in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets finished with just 51 rushing yards, and Lester’s debut was strong enough to land him co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors. Colorado’s defensive front also shared the conference’s Defensive Line of the Week award.
That kind of opener tends to turn a new transfer into a familiar name fast. Lester said he felt the buzz after the game, from the messages in his inbox to the jump in social media attention.
“ You know how it goes...good game this, good game that,” Lester said. “Taking it all in.
Got a lot of DMs and a lot of follows and stuff like that. But it was cool.
It was a nice experience, but we’re on to the next one.”
Deion Sanders said he didn’t even realize Lester had accounted for every Colorado sack until he was told during his postgame press conference. Once he heard it, Sanders used the moment to make a broader point about players who come from smaller programs.
“I didn’t even know. That’s good,” Sanders said.
“The kid coming from Monmouth...you know, he was a great player last year. A lot of these guys are great players where they came from.
That’s why we got them.”
Lester had already earned FCS All-America recognition at Monmouth, and Sanders said talent can get overlooked when it comes from a smaller stage.
“ Just because a guy played at a smaller school, you don’t give him the credit that he deserves sometimes,” Sanders said. “But football is football to me.
I don’t give a darn who’s out there on the other side. You could watch film and say, ‘That guy can play.’
I don’t care who he’s playing against.”
Sanders added Tuesday that Lester was the highest-graded defensive lineman by Pro Football Focus in the opening week. After seeing the final numbers, he joked, “I thought we were small,” Sanders joked after seeing the final totals.
Lester said the mindset in Colorado’s front, and across the defense, is being driven by defensive coordinator Chris Marve. He credited the group’s daily approach for the way it played in Atlanta.
“The mindset for the whole defense, not just the D-line, is something we preach every day,” Lester said. “Coach Marve does a good job.
It’s violence and aggression, playing fast, physical, smart and relentless effort. And that’s what we’re going to keep doing throughout the whole year.”
Now comes the harder part: keeping that first impression from turning into a distraction. Lester said the answer is to block out the noise, and he has a phrase for it.
“Something I go by is ‘no rat poison,’ meaning don’t let the internet or stuff like that get to your head,” Lester said. “Always stay levelheaded and just go to work.”
That will matter this week with Weber State coming to Boulder. Colorado is heavily favored after its upset win in Atlanta, and Lester knows the challenge changes when the Buffaloes are expected to handle business at home.
He said he has already watched plenty of film and sees enough quality on the Wildcats’ offense to keep Colorado alert.
“They got some good players over there,” Lester said. “Both their tackles are solid.
Their offense is solid. They got a solid receiver, a solid running back.
So, we should be in for a challenge this week.”
In Other News...
Colorado Suddenly Faces A Very Different Test In Home Opener
Weber States trip to Boulder is already taking shape differently than expected, with starting quarterback Devin Brown likely out after dislocating his right pinkie finger in the season opener. That pushes freshman Nate Dahle into the spotlight for a second straight week, giving Colorado a look at a Wildcat offense led by a much less experienced hand than the one it prepared for.
Eric Kjar has already updated the situation and sounded confident in Dahles ability to manage the game, but it still changes the tone of the matchup for Colorados home opener. Rather than facing a veteran starter, the Buffaloes now have to account for a freshman quarterback making his way through another major test, which adds a little extra unpredictability to a game that already carried plenty of curiosity. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Rumors Create A Colorado Problem Fans Know Too Well
Florida States loss to SMU on Monday night was enough to reopen a familiar conversation around Deion Sanders, and it immediately put Colorado back in a place it has learned to recognize. The buzz around Sanders and the Seminoles has returned even without any credible reports of outreach, which is exactly the sort of background noise that tends to follow a high-profile coach who has already changed the trajectory of one program.
For Colorado, the concern is less about where Sanders is and more about what the rumor cycle does around him. Sanders is under contract through 2029 and has said publicly that he is happy in Boulder, but any fresh speculation can still ripple into recruiting and keep the Buffs tied to a national guessing game they did not start. It also leaves Florida State coach Mike Norvell absorbing scrutiny for a season that has already prompted plenty of questions, which is why this particular storyline is likely to linger even without a real update behind it. [Read more 🡒]
Buffs Fans Are Getting A Boulder Basketball Night That Will Feel Different
Boulder is about to get a rare basketball showcase when the University of Colorado hosts an NBA preseason game at the CU Events Center on Oct. 4. The Nuggets and Utah Jazz will meet there, giving Buffs fans a chance to see pro basketball in a building that is usually reserved for college hoops and turning an early fall date into something that should feel a little bigger than the usual exhibition stop.
The night will also bring a familiar face back to campus in KJ Simpson, the former Colorado guard who is now with Denver on a two-way contract. For Buffaloes fans, that adds a local layer to a game that already stands out, especially with the matchup opening the Nuggets five-game preseason schedule and giving Boulder a first look at what should be a memorable crossover event. [Read more 🡒]