A different kind of calm has settled over Colorado’s linebackers room, and Andre’ Hart is feeling it.
While the Buffaloes are carrying plenty of uncertainty into next week’s opener at Georgia Tech - new coordinators on both sides, a roster full of transfers, and the shadow of a 3-9 finish hanging over the program - Hart says he’s sleeping just fine. The reason is the trio he gets to coach: Gideon Lampron, Liona Lefau and Tyler Martinez.
“It’s been really fun. When you have three guys like that, having that type of experience, it’s easy to coach to the whole room,” Hart said.
“They’ve been there before. They’ve lived it.
They’ve done it. On top of that, you have really good discussions about what the stakes are in certain defenses.
Or how you can incorporate a new type of scheme or technique to make it run better. So it just raises the level of play.
And then also the execution. So it’s been great.
I sleep good at night.”
That confidence isn’t coming out of thin air. Lefau arrives from Texas with a long track record, having played 42 games with 22 starts over three seasons and starting all 12 regular-season games last year.
In his final game for the Longhorns, he posted a career-high 11 tackles in a win over Texas A&M. The week before, against Arkansas, he logged his first career fumble recovery and turned it into a 52-yard touchdown return.
Lampron brings his own résumé after three years at Dayton and a 2025 season at Bowling Green. He was a team captain there and earned first team All-MAC honors after racking up 119 tackles and 17.5 tackles for loss.
Martinez, meanwhile, played only five games last season at New Mexico State before an injury ended his year, but he still finished with 27 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. He had been the Aggies’ leading tackler in 2024 and picked up second team All-Conference USA honors.
The challenge comes fast. Georgia Tech’s rushing attack piled up 320 yards against Colorado last year at Folsom Field, and that game was part of the path to CU finishing with the second-worst run defense in the nation for 2025. If the Buffs are going to change that story, the linebackers will have to be at the center of it.
Lefau says the group has already taken steps toward that goal.
“Anywhere you go, they’ll set the standard as soon as you walk in the building. But it takes time to adapt to the culture and the standard that’s set,” Lefau said.
“Everyone’s standard is different. A lot of the good teams, they have the same standard.
Which is excellence each and every day in everything you do. It’s not just on the field.
It’s not just in the film room. It’s also in the classroom or what you do with your free time as well.
“It doesn’t build overnight. It takes time.
All we needed was that time. We’ve been here throughout the spring, throughout the winter, and the summer as well.
And then spending that time in Colorado Springs, it really helped us to build together.”
In Other News...
Colorado Is Betting Big On A Louder Folsom Field Edge
Colorado is leaning further into the idea that Folsom Field should feel like more than just a stadium on fall Saturdays. The University of Colorado Athletics announced a new batch of in-game fan experiences, including live music from local bands, a new in-game host in Gianna Girardi and upgraded video board displays, all aimed at making the home atmosphere louder and more layered for Buffaloes fans.
The changes also reach beyond the seating bowl, with a pregame street party called Ralphies Road set to bring food trucks, a giant TV, a DJ and interactive games into the mix. Colorado opens its 2026 season at Georgia Tech before coming back to Boulder, where the program will find out how much these additions can help turn Folsom Field into the kind of edge the Buffaloes want every week. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Suddenly Faces Two Painful Roster Questions After Eligibility Blow
Colorados roster picture took an unexpected hit when transfer defensive lineman Ezra Christensen was denied a preliminary injunction that would have cleared him for the 2026 season, effectively ending his college football career. The ruling leaves another hole in a unit that Colorado has had to keep adjusting, and it adds a personal layer too, with former teammate Tyler Martinez publicly showing support and reacting to the news alongside him.
Deion Sanders also addressed the situation, but the broader concern now stretches beyond one player and into the teams overall depth chart planning. With Christensen out of the equation, Colorado has to keep sorting through other roster issues as well, including potential competition among its kickers, a reminder that even one legal setback can ripple through several parts of a team at once. [Read more 🡒]
Colorados Restored Receiver Group Faces One Big Opener Concern
Kam Perry and Danny Scudero are back on the field for Colorado, working in a non-contact capacity as the Buffaloes continue to prepare for the 2026 season opener. Their return is a welcome development for a receiver room that has already dealt with injuries to key pieces, and it gives Deion Sanders offense a chance to regain some much-needed depth before the games start counting.
The timing also matters because Colorado is turning to new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, whose system should benefit from having more options available on the perimeter. Sanders had already said both receivers would be back in time for the opener, and while their presence at practice is encouraging, the bigger question now is how quickly they can be fully integrated once the full-speed work begins. [Read more 🡒]