Colorado’s defensive front made a loud statement in Week 1, and Lamont Lester Jr. was right at the center of it.
The Buffaloes’ line was graded as the best in college football for the opening week by Pro Football Focus, earning a 95.5 mark after its performance against Georgia Tech. Lester, the Monmouth transfer now anchoring that group, was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after wrecking the Yellow Jackets’ backfield all game.
His stat line was as disruptive as it gets: three sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and 22 yards in losses for Georgia Tech. He also chipped in five total tackles, including four solo stops, while helping Colorado tighten up against the run.
The PFF numbers backed up what showed up on the field. Lester posted a 90.3 grade and is tied for the most sacks among Power Four defensive linemen.
Isaac Terrell of Iowa State and Xavier Gilliam of Tennessee also sit at that mark, though both came against FCS opponents in blowout wins. Lester’s outing carries a little more weight because it came in a more competitive setting.
He is also just half a sack behind Memphis defensive lineman Elijah Kinsler for the national lead, and Colorado’s upcoming tune-up against Weber State gives him a real shot to move into first.
None of this seemed to catch Deion Sanders off guard. Sanders said Lester was already proven at Monmouth, even if plenty of people missed it because he was playing at the FCS level.
“A lot of these guys were great players where they came from,” Sanders said postgame. “That's why we got them.
And you guys, sometimes just because a guy played at a school, you don't give him the credit that he deserves. Sometimes a smaller school, but football is football to me.
I don't give a darn who's out there on the other side. Football is football.
Like, you can watch your film and say that guy can play.”
Lester’s résumé at Monmouth backed up the praise. In 2025, he finished with nine sacks, 36 total tackles, 19 solo tackles, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup.
“I don't care who he's playing against. I don't care if it's SEC, ACC, or what C,” Sanders said.
“But those guys that we grabbed, the linebackers, did a phenomenal job as well. And I think we rotated three of them, and they stood the test.”
Lester’s pressure helped the entire Colorado front feed off the moment. The Buffaloes were named Big 12 Defensive Line of the Week, and the attention he drew opened things up for the rest of the unit.
Toby Anene made his own presence felt with a pair of quarterback hurries, one tackle for loss, five total tackles and two solo tackles against Georgia Tech quarterback Alberto Mendoza.
Inside, Santana Hopper and Dylan Manuel were busy shutting down the run. Colorado limited Georgia Tech to 51 rushing yards, a sharp swing from the 320 yards the Buffaloes gave up to the Yellow Jackets a season ago.
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