The Colorado Buffaloes enter 2026 with a roster that looks very different from the one that finished last season, and that’s the whole point. Deion Sanders has been aggressive in the transfer portal again, and with a remade coaching staff, Colorado is trying to push itself back toward the level it reached in 2024, when Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy and the Buffs nearly reached the Big 12 championship game.
That backdrop matters when Oklahoma State gets its shot. Colorado was better than the Cowboys last season, but only slightly, finishing with three wins and one league victory against Iowa State. Now the question is whether all this turnover can turn into something more stable, or whether the Buffs are still too much of a work in progress.
One place Colorado could make real noise is up front on defense. The edge-rush group has the look of a potential strength, even if fans will have to wait to see it in action because every key piece is new.
Santana Hopper, the former Tulane end, leads the way after posting 4.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss last season. He’s played in more than 40 college games and spent three seasons at Appalachian State, so this is a veteran who has climbed the ladder.
The rest of that group is built the same way. Colorado brought in Toby Anene from North Dakota State, Balansama Kamar from UAlbany and Lamont Lester Jr. from Monmouth. Under new defensive coordinator Chris Marve, who came from Virginia Tech, the plan is to create waves of pass rushers rather than lean on one dominant edge threat.
On offense, Julian Lewis could be the name that changes the conversation. He saw part-time action as a freshman, and Sanders added former Sacramento State head coach Brennan Marion as offensive coordinator to run a faster attack that should fit Lewis’ style.
If Lewis doesn’t hold the job, Colorado at least has another option in Isaac Wilson, who transferred in after starting as a true freshman at Utah. Between the two, the Buffs should have enough at quarterback to keep things moving.
The biggest concern sits in the middle of the offense: the running game. Colorado lost almost all of its starters there, along with one of its top recruits from two years ago in Jordan Seaton, who transferred to LSU.
Even so, the Buffs have enough talent to become a solid rushing team by midseason. The question is who takes charge.
Damian Henderson II looks like the best bet. He followed Marion from Sacramento State, already knows the offense, and brings production with him after rushing for 565 yards and five touchdowns on 91 carries last season. He has the profile of a back who can carry the load in an offense that needs one.
Still, the larger issue for Colorado is continuity. The Buffaloes are dealing with the same kind of transition plenty of Big 12 teams face, but they’re one of the few built almost entirely around it.
Not only are both coordinators new, but only five scholarship players from last year’s defense are back, and none of them were full-time starters. For Sanders, now entering his fourth season, that amount of turnover is unusual even by portal-era standards.
So when Colorado lines up against Oklahoma State, the Buffs will have talent. They’ll have speed.
They’ll have fresh faces all over the field. What they’ll also have is a lot left to prove.
In Other News...
Eric Morris Faces His First Real Oklahoma State Pressure Test
Eric Morris did not arrive in Stillwater with a clean slate so much as a full personnel package. Oklahoma States new coach brought over much of his staff and nearly 20 former North Texas players, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker, as the program turned the page after the Mike Gundy era and tried to reset quickly. The early returns will matter, but the real evaluation of this move will come once the Cowboys get into the grind of Big 12 play and start showing whether Morris familiar blueprint can translate at a higher level.
The schedule leaves little room for a slow build. A demanding four-game stretch against Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Arizona State is the kind of run that can clarify a season fast, especially with three road games packed into four weeks. For Oklahoma State, the question is no longer just whether Morris can stabilize the program in year one, but whether this team can stay on the right side of the line between bowl eligibility and another frustrating chase to six wins. [Read more 🡒]