Colorado Buffaloes 2026 Preview: Deion Sanders Bets on a Portal Rebuild and Brennan Marion's Go-Go Offense
Colorado finished 3-9 and 1-8 in the Big 12 in 2025, a hard fall in Deion Sanders' third season and just a year removed from a nine-win breakthrough. With Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter gone to the NFL and much of the roster turned over through the portal, Sanders enters year four having rebuilt on both sides of the ball. He handed the offense to Brennan Marion, the Sacramento State head coach and architect of the vertical Go-Go attack, and installed former Virginia Tech coordinator Chris Marve to run a defense that has a near-clean slate. The result is essentially a brand-new team in Boulder.
Offense
Marion's arrival signals a full reset for a unit that ranked among the nation's worst last season at 20.9 points per game. Former five-star Julian Lewis is the presumptive starter after flashing in a pair of late-season starts as a true freshman, and the staff is betting he takes a major step in year two of a scheme built on a heavy run game and vertical shots downfield. Utah transfer Isaac Wilson, who started seven games for the Utes in 2024, is pushing for the job, with true freshman Kaneal Sweetwyne also in the room. Protection is the swing factor. Last year's line did the passer few favors, and how quickly the ball gets to the perimeter will define this offense.
The skill talent is the strength. San Jose State transfer Danny Scudero arrives after leading the nation with 1,297 receiving yards, and DeAndre Moore Jr. brings polish from Texas, where he caught 11 touchdowns across two seasons and posted 532 yards at 14.9 per catch a year ago. Miami (Ohio) product Kam Perry (976 yards, 22.7 per grab) and Sacramento State's Ernest Campbell add vertical juice, while holdover Joseph Williams returns as a proven contributor and return man. Tight end Zach Atkins figures to feature in the passing game. Marion has called this the best receiving corps he has coached, and the volume of proven production backs the claim.
Marion's offense will lean on the run, and the backfield reloaded through the portal. Alabama transfer Richard Young, a former top-tier recruit, and Sacramento State's Damian Henderson II, who ran for 565 yards at 6.2 per carry in this system, headline the group alongside DeKalon Taylor. Holdover Micah Welch led the Buffs with 384 rushing yards last season and returns as the most experienced option. With the scheme designed to feature a lead back, Colorado expects far more production on the ground than the 125.6 rushing yards per game it managed in 2025.
This is the pivotal unit. Colorado will break in at least four new starters and imported eight transfer linemen to do it, headlined by former Houston center Demetrius Hunter, who started 24 games over two seasons for the Cougars. Georgia transfer Bo Hughley steps in at left tackle, with Leon Bell and Larry Johnson III also in the mix up front. Losing tackle Jordan Seaton to the portal stung, and depth on the line has been a recurring problem under Sanders. If the rebuilt front holds up, the offense has the weapons to climb.
Defense
Marve inherits a near-total teardown, with only a handful of scholarship defenders back and none of them full-time starters a year ago. The front is stocked with newcomers. Tulane's Santana Hopper, a first-team All-American Athletic Conference interior lineman, anchors the middle, and Ezra Christensen adds an experienced interior presence after posting 42 tackles and 11 tackles for loss at New Mexico State. The edge rush leans on a wave of FCS standouts, including North Dakota State's Toby Anene, UAlbany's Balansama Kamara and Monmouth's Lamont Lester Jr., with James Madison transfer Immanuel Ezeogu and San Jose State's Vili Taufatofua rounding out the rotation. The talent is fresh but unproven against Big 12 fronts.
The centerpiece is Texas transfer Liona Lefau, a two-year starter for the Longhorns who piled up 132 tackles over the last two seasons and started every regular-season game in 2025. He may be the most important addition on the roster for a defense that was gashed on the ground, surrendering 223 rushing yards per game. Around him, Dayton and Bowling Green product Gideon Lampron brings first-team all-conference pedigree, New Mexico State's Tyler Martinez adds production, and highly regarded true freshman Rodney Colton Jr. is a piece for the future.
Secondary play is always a Sanders staple, and the group is loaded with transfers. Boo Carter arrives from Tennessee, where his tenure was uneven, but he had a strong spring and profiles as a playmaking nickel who can also return kicks. Randon Fontenette brings leadership and ball production to safety after logging 125 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 15 pass breakups over two years at Vanderbilt, with New Mexico State's Naeten Mitchell alongside him. Notre Dame transfer Cree Thomas, a former top-100 recruit, carries star potential at corner, and James Madison's Justin Eaglin joins as a proven starter. It is the deepest, most talented unit on the roster.
Australian punter Damon Greaves returns as a rare holdover starter after a solid debut in Boulder, backed by three years of experience split between Colorado and Kansas. Placekicking is an open question with Alejandro Mata graduated. Redshirt freshman Elliot Arnold has the leg to win the job, and Georgia transfer Josh McCormick provides competition. Carter and Quinten Gibson give the return game a jolt.
Overview and Prediction
The schedule offers little early relief. Colorado opens at Georgia Tech, plays just one home game in September and works through a difficult front-loaded stretch before Big 12 play settles. The preseason consensus slots the Buffs near the bottom of the league, projected around 14th or 15th in the Big 12 and outside the national top 60. There are no marquee stars on hand this time, but the roster is stocked with enough proven transfer production to exceed a modest bar. The verdict comes down to two things: whether the rebuilt offensive line can protect Lewis and let Marion's attack breathe, and whether Marve's new-look front seven can hold up against the run after a year of being overwhelmed. Get those right and Colorado can push back toward .500 and a bowl. Fall short and another finish near the conference basement is in play. The honeymoon in Boulder is over, and year four is about turning talent into wins.