Believe it or not, Colorado is already nearly halfway through the season, and the bye week arrives with the Buffs sitting at 2-3 after three straight losses. The record is what it is, but the talent level on Deion Sanders’ roster keeps showing up in the numbers. A handful of players are living near the top of Big 12 statistical charts, and several more have given the defense and offense real backbone through five weeks.
Santana Hopper is the name that jumps off the page first. The defensive lineman put together one of the best performances in Colorado football history against No.
12 Texas Tech in Week 5, finishing with five tackles for loss - the first Buff to do that in 34 years, since Ronnie Woolfolk in 1992. That effort also made Hopper the highest-graded defensive player in the Power 4, according to Pro Football Focus.
He leads Colorado with 16 total QB pressures, which ranks third in the Big 12, and his four QB hits are also tops on the team.
Lamont Lester Jr. has been just as disruptive. The Monmouth transfer leads the Big 12 with four sacks, including three in the season opener, and even though he missed Week 5 with an ankle injury, he still ranks fourth in the conference with 15 total QB pressures. Lester Jr. is Colorado’s highest-graded defender at 91.2 and highest-graded pass rusher at 92.1, and the bye week gives him a chance to get healthy before pushing his draft stock even higher.
On the offensive side, Joseph Williams has been Colorado’s most reliable weapon. Through five games, he has 32 catches for 454 yards and five touchdowns, all of which put him among the Big 12’s leaders.
He’s caught a touchdown in four straight games, and more than half of his receiving yards - 254 - have come after the catch. With 50 targets, he’s clearly the Buffs’ top option.
The secondary has gotten a huge lift from Randon Fontenette. The Vanderbilt transfer leads Colorado in snaps played with 341 and tackles with 42, which ranks second in the Big 12.
He’s also recorded a sack, an interception and two pass breakups. Fontenette has been deployed all over the field, working as a blitzer, box safety and field safety.
Boo Carter has made an impact in plenty of ways, too. He opened his Colorado career by blocking a Georgia Tech field goal attempt as time expired in the season opener to seal the win.
The Tennessee transfer is tied with Fontenette for the team lead in defensive snaps at 341 and ranks second on the team with three pass breakups. Quarterbacks have thrown his way more than any other Buffs defensive back, but they’ve completed just 59% of those passes, going 19-for-32.
Carter has played cornerback, slot and punt returner, and he could hear his name called in the 2027 NFL Draft if he finishes strong.
Up front, Chauncey Gooden has quietly become one of Colorado’s most important players. He has played the most offensive snaps on the team at 340 and leads the Buffs in zone run-blocking grade at 68.7.
He’s also allowed just one sack. At 6-foot-3 and 360 pounds, Gooden has even logged 16 defensive snaps, making his second-year leap one of the more impressive developments on the roster.
Toby Anene has helped turn the pass rush into a real strength. The North Dakota State transfer has three sacks, tied for third in the Big 12, and has recorded a sack in three of the last four games. His 11 QB pressures rank third on the team, and he’s another defender with NFL potential.
At linebacker, Gideon ESPN Lampron has filled a major need. His 38 tackles rank third in the Big 12, and he leads Colorado in stops. He’s also been active around the quarterback, ranking fourth on the team with 10 total pressures.
Micah Welch has given the Buffs a steady running threat. He leads Colorado with 218 rushing yards and is the only non-quarterback to score a rushing touchdown for the team this season.
Welch is averaging 5.0 yards per carry, became the first 100-yard rusher of the Coach Prime era at Colorado in Week 2, and added an acrobatic downfield catch against Texas Tech last week. He’s done enough to merit more touches.
Liona Lefau rounds out the list after stepping into a bigger role with Tyler Martinez out for the season. The Texas transfer is Colorado’s fourth-leading tackler with 31 stops, owns the team’s best tackling grade at 80.5 and has the lowest missed tackle rate among qualified Buffs at 7.1%.
In Other News...
Colorado Defense Showed Real Progress Before One More Painful Breakdown
Colorados defense gave the Buffaloes something real to build on in a recent matchup with Texas Tech, especially up front. Sanata Hopper was everywhere for stretches of the game, and the unit as a whole kept Texas Tech in check for most of the afternoon, allowing Colorado to stay competitive deep into the contest and limiting the Red Raiders to just 12 points through three quarters.
The encouraging part for Deion Sanders was the overall trend, even if it came with the familiar sting of another late lapse. Colorado showed better structure and energy than it has at other points this season, but the final breakdown erased much of the good will from the earlier effort. The challenge now is turning that improved early resistance into something that lasts through the finish. [Read more 🡒]
Cherry Creek Faces A Real Test As Its Surge Meets A 5-1 Threat
Cherry Creeks unbeaten reputation will get a real measuring stick this week when the No. 1 team in Colorado high school football lines up against Northfield, with both schools carrying 5-1 records into the matchup. The Bruins have looked the part of a state power, and their recent uptick has been helped by the return of junior quarterback Bentley Unruh, whose presence made a noticeable difference in their last game.
Northfield, though, brings more than just a winning record to the table. Senior tailback Kaeden Williams has been the centerpiece of a physical offense, piling up 822 yards and seven touchdowns on the season, which gives the Raiders a proven way to challenge Cherry Creeks defense. For a team trying to protect its top ranking, this is the kind of game that can reveal a lot in a hurry, even before the broader state playoff picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Took A Big Hit Before A Crucial Stretch
BYUs offense is heading into a rough stretch without one of its most important pieces. Running back LJ Martin went down with a lower-body injury against TCU, and the Cougars are bracing for a significant stretch without their lead runner as they prepare for a matchup with Notre Dame and other games beyond that.
The loss puts more pressure on an already shifting offensive plan, with quarterback Bear Bachmeier likely to shoulder a bigger load while the rushing attack waits for Martin to return. For a team trying to navigate a pivotal run of games, the absence of a back who has been central to the ground game changes the feel of everything around it. [Read more 🡒]