Colorado spent the offseason trying to remake its defense, but the question hanging over Thursday’s opener at Georgia Tech is still the same one from a year ago: can the Buffaloes stop the run?
Deion Sanders turned over a lot of the personnel around that unit. There’s a new coordinator, a new front and a linebacker group that was rebuilt mostly through transfers.
Even so, the issue that kept biting Colorado last season never really went away. The Buffs gave up 222.5 rushing yards per game, which ranked 135th nationally, and that weakness gets tested right away in the rematch with the Yellow Jackets.
That matchup carries extra weight because Georgia Tech exposed the problem in last season’s opener. The Yellow Jackets ran 47 times for 320 yards in a 2720 win at Folsom Field, and now the same opponent is the first real measure of whether Colorado’s defensive overhaul has done enough.
A lot has changed up front. Colorado defensive coordinator Chris Marve was promoted from linebackers coach in February after Robert Livingston left for a defensive pass game coordinator role with the Denver Broncos. Marve inherited a unit with only a small group of returning scholarship defenders, and the front has been almost completely rebuilt around him.
The turnover was dramatic. Arden Walker signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings, Keaten Wade got a Kansas City Chiefs minicamp invitation, and former defensive line coach Domata Peko moved on to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Colorado answered by bringing in 12 defensive linemen and edge rushers through the transfer portal, with Dante’ Carter now coaching that room.
That’s where the first real battle begins. Colorado doesn’t just need bodies - it needs the line to keep blockers off the linebackers and prevent Georgia Tech from turning ordinary runs into big gains.
Ezra Christensen was supposed to be part of that solution. He came in after posting 11 tackles for loss and six sacks at New Mexico State last season, and Colorado clearly expected him to help in the middle. But a judge denied the preliminary injunction he needed to play this season on Aug 24, forcing the Buffaloes to adjust again.
That leaves Santana Hopper, a Tulane transfer, and Dylan Manuel, who came from Appalachian State, in line for bigger roles in the interior rotation. Tyler Moore, a Coastal Carolina transfer, and nose tackle Samu Taumanupepe could also see more snaps. That’s a lot to sort through against a Georgia Tech backfield that still has Justice Haynes, a Michigan State transfer, and Malachi Hosley ready to carry the load.
There is one major difference from the game last season, though, and it matters. Haynes King was the engine for Georgia Tech’s ground attack in that opener, accounting for 156 of the Yellow Jackets’ 320 rushing yards and scoring three times. He’s gone now, with Indiana transfer Alberto Mendoza stepping in after never starting a college game.
That changes the shape of the challenge, but not the importance of it. Colorado can focus more directly on Haynes and Hosley, yet the Buffs still have to win at the line of scrimmage. If Georgia Tech can run the ball and stay ahead of the chains, the new quarterback won’t matter much.
The best answer may be the group behind the defensive front. Gideon Lampron arrived from Bowling Green with 119 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and first-team All-MAC honors after the 2025 season.
Liona Lefau brings two seasons of starting experience from Texas, and Tyler Martinez transferred in from New Mexico State. Sanders has said he sees three pros in that room, and all three should give Marve more speed and more experience behind the rebuilt front.
Marve will also handle the defense from the sideline rather than the booth, which should keep him closer to the linebackers between series. That setup gives him a chance to fix a bad fit or missed assignment before the next drive starts.
Colorado’s camp also offered a useful dress rehearsal. The defense spent every day going against Brennan Marion’s Go-Go offense, a scheme that demanded gap discipline and forced linebackers to track multiple run threats. Georgia Tech is different, but the lessons on communication and eye discipline still apply.
Lampron said those reps mattered.
“They definitely have us prepared for anything we can see,” Lampron said. “It is one of Coach Marve’s biggest focuses.”
For Colorado, the formula is simple enough on paper: hold the point of attack, keep Lampron and Lefau clean, and make Mendoza throw from longer downs instead of letting Georgia Tech control the game on the ground. Thursday will show quickly whether that offseason makeover actually changed anything.
In Other News...
Floridas New Offense Now Rides On One Defining Decision
Buster Faulkner has settled one of Floridas biggest offseason questions, naming Aaron Philo as the Gators starter for the season opener against Florida Atlantic. The move gives Florida a clear direction as it enters Faulkners system, where the offense is being rebuilt around several new starters and transfers and a fresh approach that is expected to lift a unit that has searched for more consistency.
For Georgia Tech fans, Philos departure is a familiar reminder of how quickly the quarterback landscape can shift in college football, especially when a player finds a new opportunity elsewhere. He won the job over backup Tramell Jones Jr., and now the spotlight turns to how quickly Florida can settle in around him before the opener arrives and the real evaluation begins. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Has More NFL Roster Momentum Than Fans Realized
The NFL cutdown to 53 players always serves as a snapshot of how a college program is showing up at the next level, and Georgia Techs picture after this week was a better one than many around the program may have realized. Former Yellow Jackets surfaced on multiple initial rosters, with Haynes King landing with the Carolina Panthers, Luke Van den Berg in position to possibly start for the Chicago Bears, and others such as Mason, Rutledge and Butker sticking with their teams as the season approaches.
For Tech fans, the encouraging part is not just the number of names but the range of roles those names are filling. Some are fighting for snap counts, some are stepping into bigger opportunities, and some have already become reliable pieces at the pro level, which is the kind of breadth that says something about the programs recent pipeline. The full list gives a clearer sense of just how much momentum Georgia Tech has built, even if the season ahead will determine which of those roster spots turn into real impact. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Is Treating Georgia Tech Like A Real Early Test
Deion Sanders is already treating Georgia Tech like the kind of early-season check that can expose any soft spots in a teams routine. With Colorado headed to Atlanta for a Thursday night game, Sanders said the Buffaloes are adjusting practice later in the day and moving meal and sleep schedules around so the players can better match the kickoff time. Its a small shift on paper, but it says plenty about how seriously he views the opener and the challenge of getting a team ready on a short week.
For Sanders, the point is less about gaining an advantage than about teaching Colorado how to live on the same timetable it will face under the lights. The altered schedule is meant to help players settle into the rhythm of a Thursday game rather than wake up and rush into it, which makes Georgia Tech an interesting first test of how quickly the Buffaloes can adapt. However the matchup plays out, the pregame routine already has Sanders coaching with the opener in mind. [Read more 🡒]