Colorado has already seen several of its transfer additions make an impact, but one of the headline newcomers still hasn’t lived up to the buzz. Wide receiver Danny Scudero, brought in to give the Buffaloes another dangerous piece in the passing game, has yet to find his footing as Colorado comes out of the bye week.
The defense has been the more reliable side of the ball so far, and a few of the new faces there have wasted no time showing why they were targeted. Tulane defensive lineman Santana Hopper has looked ready for the Power Conference stage.
Edge rusher Toby Anene, who arrived from North Dakota State, has adjusted well. Linebacker Gideon Lampron has also made an immediate jump from a non-Power Four program.
Together, that trio has helped fuel Colorado’s Big 12-leading tackles for loss.
That kind of production has made the offensive struggle stand out even more, and Scudero is at the center of it. Colorado needs the San Jose State transfer to get healthy and dangerous again if it wants to steady the offense and give coach Deion Sanders a much-needed lift after the slow start.
Scudero came to Boulder as the nation’s receiving yards leader out of San Jose State, where he thrived in the Spartans’ Spread-N-Shred system by finding open grass and making defenses pay. Plenty of people expected him to slide right into Brennan Marion’s “Go-Go” offense and become an instant fit. Instead, the transition to the P4 level has been rocky.
A foot issue slowed him early, and he has also had trouble showing the plant-and-go burst that made him such a dangerous receiver in the first place.
Colorado will hope the bye week helps. The Buffaloes return to the field on Oct. 17 for the Utah game, and Marion’s offense could use a healthier version of Scudero in a hurry. The 5-9 receiver has only five catches for 24 yards and no touchdowns so far this season, with just 4.8 yards per reception in 2026.
He’s been watching Joseph Williams emerge as one of the few bright spots on a struggling offense, while Texas transfer DeAndre Moore has helped ease some of the pressure as a vertical threat. Even so, Colorado needs Scudero to become the underneath option that opens up the passing game and gives quarterbacks Isaac Wilson and Julian Lewis another dependable target.
Scudero isn’t the only newcomer under the microscope. Alabama transfer running back Richard Young also needs to do more.
He has fallen behind Sacramento State transfer Damian Henderson II and returning Colorado leading rusher Micah Welch, and his numbers have been quiet: 16 carries, 49 yards, and 3.1 yards per carry. Colorado needs him to contribute and help lighten the load on the rest of the backfield.
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