Colorado’s preseason buzz is spreading fast, and this week it reached six more Buffs.
Wide receivers Kam Perry and Danny Scudero landed on the 2026 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List. Running back Richard Young was named a preseason candidate for the Doak Walker Award.
Running back DeKalon Taylor made the Comeback Player of the Year Watch List. And wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. plus defensive back Boo Carter were both picked for the Senior Bowl Top 300.
The biggest receiver spotlight right now belongs to Perry and Scudero, who give Colorado one of the nation’s most intriguing incoming duos. They arrive in Boulder after combining for 131 catches, 2,273 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2025.
Perry, a fifth-year receiver from Marietta, Ga., is coming off a breakout run at Miami (Ohio). He played all 14 games with 12 starts, caught 43 passes for 976 yards and six touchdowns, and averaged 22.7 yards per catch. He was First Team All-MAC and the RedHawks’ offensive MVP, with eight games over 75 receiving yards and four 100-yard outings.
Scudero, a fourth-year receiver from San Jose, Calif., put together a huge season at San Jose State. He led the nation in receiving yards during the 2025 regular season with 1,297, averaged 108.1 yards per game, and finished with 88 catches and 10 touchdowns.
That production earned him Second Team All-America honors from the Associated Press, AFCA, Walter Camp and Phil Steele. His four touchdown catches against Wyoming set a San Jose State program record and matched the Mountain West single-game mark.
Colorado’s connection to the Biletnikoff Award already runs deep. Travis Hunter won it in 2024, Nelson Spruce was a semifinalist in 2014, and Michael Westbrook was a semifinalist in the award’s first year in 1994. In all, Buffaloes have been recognized 16 times, and Hunter and LaJohntay Wester were both honored in 2024, the last time CU had multiple receivers on the radar in the same season.
The Biletnikoff Award will announce semifinalists Nov. 16, finalists Nov. 24 and the winner Dec. 11 at the Home Depot College Football Awards.
Young’s preseason nod points to Colorado’s backfield, too. The fourth-year running back from Lehigh Acres, Fla., spent three seasons at Alabama before joining the Buffs. He played in 15 games there and scored five touchdowns, including two on 23 carries in 2025.
Before college, Young was a consensus four-star recruit out of Lehigh Senior High School. The 247 Composite ranked him No. 55 nationally and No. 4 among running backs after a prep career that produced 4,693 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns on 571 carries, with at least 800 yards in each of his four seasons.
Colorado has had its share of Doak Walker attention over the years. Rashaan Salaam won the award in 1994, the same year he captured the Heisman Trophy. Chris Brown was a semifinalist in 2002, Phillip Lindsay in 2017, and Young is CU’s first candidate since 2023.
Taylor’s spot on the Comeback Player of the Year Watch List comes after a season that flashed before injury cut it short. The fifth-year running back from Longview, Texas, scored on Colorado’s opening drive of the 2025 season with an 8-yard touchdown catch, the Buffs’ fastest first touchdown of a season since 2018. He finished with 83 rushing yards on 19 carries, plus 10 catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns before his year ended after four games.
The Comeback Player of the Year award, presented since 2018, recognizes players who have overcome injury, illness or other circumstances. Jarek Broussard has already given Colorado a winner there, earning the honor in 2020.
Moore Jr. and Carter added another layer of preseason recognition by landing on the Senior Bowl Top 300. The list is built from evaluations of more than 2,000 players from all levels of college football since February, and it identifies draft-eligible prospects with NFL-level talent and potential.
Moore, a fourth-year receiver from Bellflower, Calif., transferred from Texas after three seasons there. He played in 37 games with 18 starts and totaled 77 receptions for 988 yards and 11 touchdowns, including 38 catches for 532 yards and four scores in 2025.
Carter, a third-year defensive back from Chattanooga, Tenn., came to Boulder after two seasons at Tennessee. In 2025, he forced three fumbles, tied for third in the FBS entering Week 10, and added 25 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack. As a true freshman in 2024, he led the SEC in punt return average at 16.5 and made the SEC All-Freshman Team as a return specialist.
Colorado opens the 2026 season Thursday, Sept. 3, at Georgia Tech at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN.
The home opener is Saturday, Sept. 12, against Weber State at Folsom Field at 1:30 p.m. MT on ESPN+.
In Other News...
Colorado Defense Is Taking Shape Around Deions Newest Addition
Cree Thomas arrival from Notre Dame gives Colorado another experienced piece to work with as Deion Sanders continues reshaping the defense in Boulder. The cornerback joins a group that already includes several players with Power Five backgrounds, and the Buffs are hoping that blend of familiar names and fresh transfers can give the unit a more settled look heading into the season.
Liona Lefau and Boo Carter are also expected to factor into the defensive mix, adding to the sense that Colorado is trying to build depth as well as talent. The program has already drawn some preseason recognition, with multiple players landing on award watch lists, and the next step will be turning that attention into a defense that looks more complete once the games start to count. [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
Colorado spent the offseason reshaping its backfield, and the additions have more of a familiar thread than it might first appear. With Brennan Marion moving in as offensive coordinator from Sacramento State, the Buffaloes also brought in two former Hornets in Damian Henderson II and JaQuail Smith, giving the offense players who already know parts of the system and can help speed up the transition in camp.
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 🡒]