Colorado’s effort to remake the backfield has taken a clear turn over the last several months, and JaQuail Smith looks like one of the more intriguing pieces in the mix.
The Buffaloes spent January through August trying to clean up the run game, and bringing in Sacramento State head coach Brennan Marion to run the offense started that push. Once Marion arrived, two of his former Hornets backs followed him to Boulder: Damian Henderson II and Smith, Sacramento State’s second- and third-leading rushers.
Smith, though, is the one who seems most likely to win over Colorado fans with his style.
He met with reporters on Aug. 20 for the first time during 2026 fall camp, and the 5-foot-11, 170-pound back didn’t sound like someone worried about whether he looks the part of a bruiser.
“I don’t allow the first guy to tackle me. I like to score TDs,” Smith told reporters, per DNVR Buffs’ Scott Procter.
That kind of confidence fits the picture Colorado is trying to build in this offense. Smith also made it clear he’s not walking into the Power Four expecting the same thing he saw before.
“It’s just different, like it’s weird. You don’t know what’s happening. It’s exotic formations, you never know what’s coming,” Smith said.
That’s the beauty of Marion’s “Go-Go” offense, and it’s also why Smith matters. He already knows the system, has played in it, and produced in it. At Sacramento State, he led the Hornets with 6.7 yards per carry.
What he gives Colorado is a quick-hit runner with burst, the kind of back who can plant, go, and force defenses to react fast. He can create space in the open field, and he’s not just a speed piece either. Smith showed some real power against Weber State with under two minutes left in Sacramento State’s 2025 win, when he ran through one defender to reach inside the Wildcats’ 20-yard line.
That kind of clip should matter to Colorado, especially with the backfield conversation already tilted toward Alabama transfer Richard Young after his Doak Walker Award watch list nod earlier in Aug. 2026. Henderson brings more size and downhill force at 6-2, while Micah Welch, last season’s leading rusher, is still in the room and expected to get his share of work.
Even so, Smith shouldn’t be buried in the depth-chart chatter. He and returner DeKalon Taylor look like the lightning to the thunder backs of Young, Henderson and Welch. And because Smith already understands Marion’s blocking schemes and where the holes are supposed to appear, he has a built-in advantage.
Colorado says it plans to start with a committee approach, but Smith has the kind of skill set that can change a drive in a hurry. If the opening appears, don’t be surprised if he turns it into a long run.
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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 🡒]