Colorado’s offense looks different this fall, and DeKalon Taylor is already sounding like a player who knows exactly why that matters.
The Buffaloes running back is stepping into a backfield that now includes Alabama transfer Richard Young along with former Sacramento State backs Damian Henderson II and JaQuail Smith. Those two also have previous ties to Colorado offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, which only adds another layer to the reshuffle. Taylor, though, doesn’t sound rattled by any of it.
He made that clear in comments shared by Jake Schwanitz of DNVR on Aug. 5, and then went even further when talking about the part of the offense he believes will drive everything else.
"You can’t lose with the scheme, that’s just how I feel about it," Taylor said. "The offensive line, phenomenal, phenomenal o-line. I can’t even describe how good they are.”
That’s the kind of line Colorado fans have been waiting to hear.
For years in the Deion Sanders era, the Buffaloes have dealt with shaky play up front. The offensive line gave up 94 sacks of Shedeur Sanders in his first two seasons in Boulder, even though he still managed to leave with 64 touchdown passes and a stack of school records.
The bigger issue was what those protection problems did to the rest of the offense. Consistency never really took hold, and the run game kept paying the price.
Marion was brought in to change that. His track record as a play-caller points in the right direction.
Sacramento State averaged 262.6 rushing yards per game in 2025 with Marion as head coach, and UNLV put up 243.5 rushing yards per game in 2024. That kind of production doesn’t happen by accident, and the common thread is the same: the run game starts in the trenches.
Marion’s "Go-Go" offense leans on pulling guards and tackles, wide zone looks, power concepts, and read-key isolation plays that can leave an edge defender guessing. It also gives quarterback Julian Lewis a quicker outlet, which cuts down on how long Colorado’s linemen have to hold up in protection. In other words, the whole operation is built to make the five men up front work smarter and faster.
Colorado fans also got a taste of the attitude Marion wants from that group during camp. True freshman left tackle Xavier Payne got into a heated moment with edge rusher Kylan Salter in a viral clip, with Payne driving the defender’s back into the turf before the two ended up in a shoving match.
Payne later addressed it on social media and said "it's all competition" between him and Salter. Even so, the sequence fit the image Colorado supporters want to see from this line: physical, aggressive, and willing to finish.
Taylor’s comments only added to that picture. For a team trying to turn its ground game into a real weapon, the message from inside the locker room is pretty straightforward: the Buffaloes believe the front can set the tone.
In Other News...
Colorados Ezra Christensen Could Benefit From A New NCAA Eligibility Fight
The NCAAs eligibility rules are back under the microscope, and Colorado has reason to pay close attention. Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide has filed a lawsuit challenging the Five-Year Rule, arguing over whether his junior college season should count against his eligibility, and the case has already produced a notable early ruling that could ripple beyond one roster.
For the Buffaloes, the most relevant name is Ezra Christensen, whose own eligibility situation sits in the same orbit as similar cases around the country. The new legal fight could shape how judges view these disputes moving forward, and it may give Christensen a more favorable backdrop as his case moves into its next hearing. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Needs Danny Scudero And Fans Finally Got Some Clarity
Danny Scudero has been one of the more quietly important names in Colorados fall camp, even if an unspecified lower body injury has kept the wide receiver on the side for much of it. The Buffaloes have had to manage his participation carefully, and the absence has been noticeable as Deion Sanders and his staff sort through an offense that still needs reliable options on the perimeter.
Sanders did offer some welcome clarity, saying Scudero is progressing and is expected back in time for the season opener against Georgia Tech. That matters for a Colorado receiver room that also includes Quentin Gibson and DeAndre Moore Jr., because the Buffs need as many healthy targets as they can get when the games start to count. For now, the update at least suggests Scuderos camp absence is a temporary setback rather than something that will linger into September. [Read more 🡒]