Colorado’s passing game never really found its rhythm in the opener against Georgia Tech, and that left a familiar question hanging over the Buffaloes: who else is going to step up?
Julian Lewis did not get much going for most of the night. By the time Colorado reached its final drive, he had just 65 passing yards.
That late push changed the box score some, with Lewis throwing for 59 yards and a touchdown on that possession, but it did not erase the broader issue. Only four Colorado wide receivers caught a pass, and that kind of limited involvement naturally puts a spotlight on players who still haven’t carved out a consistent place in the offense.
Quanell Farrakhan Jr. is one of those names. The former blue-chip recruit has caught just one pass in his Colorado career, despite arriving in Boulder as a four-star prospect according to 247Sports. Colorado’s receiving room has not exactly overwhelmed anyone either - the Buffaloes finished fourth-to-last in the Big 12 in receiving yards - but Farrakhan still managed only a lone catch for 17 yards and no touchdowns.
His path hasn’t been limited to offense, either. Farrakhan was used on punt return, but that role never became a reliable springboard into a bigger workload.
He chose to return to Colorado for the 2026 season, though his offseason did not come with a major breakthrough. Former Buffs receivers coach Jason Phillips addressed Farrakhan’s spring work on March 24 and made it clear the staff wanted more.
“[I’ve seen] the same Quanell,” said Phillips in his March 24 presser. “He’s got to continue to work on his game and get better; he has to take coaching, apply the coaching and apply the technical stuff we’re teaching here and become the player we expect him to be.”
That makes the next stretch important for Farrakhan. He did not make an impact in the season opener against the Yellow Jackets, and that was true both on offense and on special teams.
If that continues, Colorado could find itself dealing with transfer questions down the road. The Buffaloes still have reason to keep looking for ways to use him, especially given his pedigree, and special teams may be the most obvious place to start. Farrakhan has not been a steady presence there, but he has shown flashes, including a season-long 19-yard return.
Week 2 offers a clean chance to test that out. Weber State comes to town as a tune-up opponent, and the Wildcats have gone 4-8 over the past two seasons in the Big Sky. They also already have a loss this season, falling to Southern Utah.
That setup should give Colorado room to experiment with personnel, and Farrakhan could be part of that mix on special teams and possibly even on offense.
Deion Sanders said during his weekly press conference before the home opener against the Wildcats that the special teams problems from Week 1 were tied to personnel choices.
"I'm not concerned about those issues. The reason: because that's an easy fix with personnel," Sanders said.
"Some things are schematic. That wasn't schematic.
That was personnel. We fixed it with personnel already.
Hopefully, you see the results this weekend."
In Other News...
Deion Sanders Signals Colorado Special Teams Changes After Week 1 Problems
Colorados Week 1 loss to Georgia Tech left Deion Sanders with one clear area of concern, and it wasnt hard to spot. The Buffaloes had issues on special teams throughout the opener, and Sanders said the problems were tied more to personnel choices than to the system itself. He suggested the staff has already started making changes, with an eye toward tightening up kickoff coverage and settling some of the kicking responsibilities.
The kicking picture still looks unsettled, though, and that is where the biggest uncertainty remains for Colorado heading into the next stretch. Sanders pointed to protection issues on field goals and extra points as part of the broader special teams mess, which means the Buffaloes are still sorting out more than just who handles the ball. For a team trying to clean up the details after an uneven opener, those adjustments could be just as important as anything happening on offense or defense. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Is Turning Its Home Opener Into A Recruiting Showcase
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For a staff that has made long-term recruiting a priority, that kind of turnout turns a game day into a working event. It gives Colorado coaches a chance to watch young prospects up close, start relationships early and keep building ties across the state while the program looks to turn home dates into something bigger than just another Saturday in Boulder. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Is Pushing Colorado Into A Bigger College Sports Fight
Deion Sanders has never been shy about stepping into the biggest conversations in college football, and now he is lending his voice to a broader fight over how the sport operates. The Colorado coach has publicly backed the Protect College Sports Act, a bill from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz that is aimed at issues surrounding the transfer portal and NIL rules, bringing another national spotlight moment to a program that already seems to live at the center of the sport's most heated debates.
Sanders also appeared in a commercial promoting the legislation, framing it as something that could help student-athletes and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban joined him in support of the bill, a notable pairing given how often the two have occupied different corners of the college football conversation. Whether the measure gains traction is still an open question, but Sanders has made clear he intends for Colorado to have a voice in that discussion. [Read more 🡒]