Hi all! Today is the first day of spring practice and we'll have the press conference updates for you here as the coordinators and the quarterbacks speak with reporters.
Keep checking back as I update this space with comments from everyone speaking today.
DC Robert Livingston
- The CU defensive coordinator was asked about this spring and how fast one year has gone by. He says he blinked and the time had passed already.
- "Put guys in tough spots" when talking about Day 1 of spring ball for the Buffs
- "We're excited about those guys ... obviously that position you're the quarterback of the defense. They get a lot of reps." ... on Reginald Hughes and Martavius French
He adds that it's a clean slate for everyone.
– "You have to have the hard questions." ... discussing what improvements he wants to make coming off his first season with the Buffs
He adds that he wants to see who emerges as a leader and did allude to changing some things with the preparation for the season.
- "Travis was our culture." ... on replacing DBs like Travis Hunter and Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig
He adds that he wants players to step up and take charge of the opportunity this spring.
- "This is a special place, and they gave me a chance. ... They changed my life, they changed my family's life and it's my job not to let them down." ... on being rewarded for his work in Year 1 with a new contract
- Arden Walker "a generational player" mentioned by Livingston as a potential leader for the defense.
- "It's hard for me to put that crown of Cam on someone else. ... Cam's a special dude to me, so I gotta see that." ... on Tawfiq Byard potentially having the same type of impact as CSC
- "I'm thrilled to be here." ... Livingston on why he decided to stick with the Buffs than take a different opportunity. He simply said "why not?" when asked why he returned.
- "Shout out to Diego Pavia." ... on Preston Hodge being able to return becuase of the junior college ruling allowing players who went the junior college route being allowed to have an extra season of eligibility. Mentioned Carter Stoutmire and Tawfiq Byard as potential breakout players in the secondary.
- "I have a general feel for who we want to be but it's about players not plays." ... on how the defense could be reshaped this offseason.
OC Pat Shurmur
- "It's fun to get back on the field, that's the thing I love about this game the most." ... on returning to practice this spring.
Shurmur highlights the importance of practice time this spring.
- "That's going to be an obvious observation throughout the season. Losing a guy like Shedeur, we gotta replace him. ... You gotta start over."
He mentions that CU wants to build a winner and has to replace a lot of lost talent at the quarterback position. He mentions that both Kaidon Salter and JuJu Lewis both need to develop.
"We really like what we've seen so far."
He says there were some "really good" plays on Day 1 from both new quarterbacks. "It's good, it's healthy."
- "I think tight ends are so important. ... We got a lot out of our guys that we had playing out there ... but we we were in 10 personnel a lot."
He mentions that Zach Atkins should provide the Buffs with an opportunity to play the tight end more.
"I think we have a little bit more of a diverse roster this year, which should allows us to do some different things."
- "As my youngest daughter would say, it's not that deep." ... on how he will decide on a starting quarterback. Shurmur talks about the work it will take for someone to emerge. He again alludes to a "healthy" battle that will take place.
- "I think it's a really good group. ... They were underutilized a little bit last year. Some of that is by design." ... on the use of the running back group.
Shurmur mentions that the RPO plays took away from the running game and the "shenanigans" that took place on the outside because of what the talent allowed the offense to do having an impact on the running game.
He mentions there is likely to be more opportunities for that group. Shurmur says he's "thrilled" to have Marshall Faulk on staff.
- "Some of the teams ought to get an airbnb out here. ... If you need a quarterback, draft Shedeur. If you don't need a quarterback, draft Travis."
QB Julian Lewis
- "I feel like high school football just didn't have a lot more for me." ... on his decision to forgo his senior season and get going in college early. He says that it was always his plan to skip his final season of high school.
- Lewis says he's not viewing the work ahead as a competition as he's simply having fun getting to know everyone and working with the group.
- "It's definitely a blessing to have a guy like him." ... on having someone like Shedeur Sanders to lean on for advice as he begins his college career
- "I got more to prove to myself than anybody else. I've been getting called overrated since I was 7." ... on if he feels like he has anything to prove as he steps into college
- "He gets wild sometimes, but coming in young I feel like that's what I needed having someone put you in your place." ... on his relationship with Shurmur has developed so far
QB Kaidon Salter
- "I just want to come in and be a leader." ... the newcomer expresses his desire to be someone young players can lean on.
- "Coach wanted to see me come in and compete with JuJu." ... on why CU was the best fit for him. He mentions that connections to the NFL as being a big part of why he ultimately ended up with the Buffs.
- "I done seen a lot and been through a lot." ... Salter mentions the adversity he's had to overcome, and he says that all has helped form him to being someone who can handle all that comes with his position.
- "I came here to throw the ball." ... on his ability as a passer and runner at the quarterback position. He says teams aren't able to stop his run, but he wants to take advantage of the receiver group at CU.
He adds that a goal is to get the running game going overall this year.
- "Colorado giving us this opportunity, we just want to be the best we can be." ... on his brother Kylan being part of the roster at CU. Salter mentions that his younger brother has had to deal with his own hurdles because of his injuries.
- Salter mentions that Preston Hodge being at CU helped his decision as well. They grew up together and he heard good things about the Buffs through the Colorado defensive back.
QB Ryan Staub
- Staub mentions that he just wants to continue to develop this spring.
"It's really up to me to just use that advantage I have of knowing the offense."
He does view his experience in the system as an advantage.
- "The game feels a little slower." ... on how he's grown as a player since last year. Staub mentions that he has made strides with his understanding of the offense overall and that has helped him gain more confidence.
- "The talent is real." ... on the latest iteration of the roster at CU. He says there is a "mesh" still happening with the new group, but he is excited about the group the staff has put together.
- "I try to take one little thing for him because he's got all the knowledge." ... on working with Pat Shurmur and what he's learned about the CU offensive coordinator. Staub says Shumur is hard on the quarterback group but it gets the most out of them
Keep checking back as I update this space with comments from everyone speaking today.
DC Robert Livingston
- The CU defensive coordinator was asked about this spring and how fast one year has gone by. He says he blinked and the time had passed already.
- "Put guys in tough spots" when talking about Day 1 of spring ball for the Buffs
- "We're excited about those guys ... obviously that position you're the quarterback of the defense. They get a lot of reps." ... on Reginald Hughes and Martavius French
He adds that it's a clean slate for everyone.
– "You have to have the hard questions." ... discussing what improvements he wants to make coming off his first season with the Buffs
He adds that he wants to see who emerges as a leader and did allude to changing some things with the preparation for the season.
- "Travis was our culture." ... on replacing DBs like Travis Hunter and Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig
He adds that he wants players to step up and take charge of the opportunity this spring.
- "This is a special place, and they gave me a chance. ... They changed my life, they changed my family's life and it's my job not to let them down." ... on being rewarded for his work in Year 1 with a new contract
- Arden Walker "a generational player" mentioned by Livingston as a potential leader for the defense.
- "It's hard for me to put that crown of Cam on someone else. ... Cam's a special dude to me, so I gotta see that." ... on Tawfiq Byard potentially having the same type of impact as CSC
- "I'm thrilled to be here." ... Livingston on why he decided to stick with the Buffs than take a different opportunity. He simply said "why not?" when asked why he returned.
- "Shout out to Diego Pavia." ... on Preston Hodge being able to return becuase of the junior college ruling allowing players who went the junior college route being allowed to have an extra season of eligibility. Mentioned Carter Stoutmire and Tawfiq Byard as potential breakout players in the secondary.
- "I have a general feel for who we want to be but it's about players not plays." ... on how the defense could be reshaped this offseason.
OC Pat Shurmur
- "It's fun to get back on the field, that's the thing I love about this game the most." ... on returning to practice this spring.
Shurmur highlights the importance of practice time this spring.
- "That's going to be an obvious observation throughout the season. Losing a guy like Shedeur, we gotta replace him. ... You gotta start over."
He mentions that CU wants to build a winner and has to replace a lot of lost talent at the quarterback position. He mentions that both Kaidon Salter and JuJu Lewis both need to develop.
"We really like what we've seen so far."
He says there were some "really good" plays on Day 1 from both new quarterbacks. "It's good, it's healthy."
- "I think tight ends are so important. ... We got a lot out of our guys that we had playing out there ... but we we were in 10 personnel a lot."
He mentions that Zach Atkins should provide the Buffs with an opportunity to play the tight end more.
"I think we have a little bit more of a diverse roster this year, which should allows us to do some different things."
- "As my youngest daughter would say, it's not that deep." ... on how he will decide on a starting quarterback. Shurmur talks about the work it will take for someone to emerge. He again alludes to a "healthy" battle that will take place.
- "I think it's a really good group. ... They were underutilized a little bit last year. Some of that is by design." ... on the use of the running back group.
Shurmur mentions that the RPO plays took away from the running game and the "shenanigans" that took place on the outside because of what the talent allowed the offense to do having an impact on the running game.
He mentions there is likely to be more opportunities for that group. Shurmur says he's "thrilled" to have Marshall Faulk on staff.
- "Some of the teams ought to get an airbnb out here. ... If you need a quarterback, draft Shedeur. If you don't need a quarterback, draft Travis."
QB Julian Lewis
- "I feel like high school football just didn't have a lot more for me." ... on his decision to forgo his senior season and get going in college early. He says that it was always his plan to skip his final season of high school.
- Lewis says he's not viewing the work ahead as a competition as he's simply having fun getting to know everyone and working with the group.
- "It's definitely a blessing to have a guy like him." ... on having someone like Shedeur Sanders to lean on for advice as he begins his college career
- "I got more to prove to myself than anybody else. I've been getting called overrated since I was 7." ... on if he feels like he has anything to prove as he steps into college
- "He gets wild sometimes, but coming in young I feel like that's what I needed having someone put you in your place." ... on his relationship with Shurmur has developed so far
QB Kaidon Salter
- "I just want to come in and be a leader." ... the newcomer expresses his desire to be someone young players can lean on.
- "Coach wanted to see me come in and compete with JuJu." ... on why CU was the best fit for him. He mentions that connections to the NFL as being a big part of why he ultimately ended up with the Buffs.
- "I done seen a lot and been through a lot." ... Salter mentions the adversity he's had to overcome, and he says that all has helped form him to being someone who can handle all that comes with his position.
- "I came here to throw the ball." ... on his ability as a passer and runner at the quarterback position. He says teams aren't able to stop his run, but he wants to take advantage of the receiver group at CU.
He adds that a goal is to get the running game going overall this year.
- "Colorado giving us this opportunity, we just want to be the best we can be." ... on his brother Kylan being part of the roster at CU. Salter mentions that his younger brother has had to deal with his own hurdles because of his injuries.
- Salter mentions that Preston Hodge being at CU helped his decision as well. They grew up together and he heard good things about the Buffs through the Colorado defensive back.
QB Ryan Staub
- Staub mentions that he just wants to continue to develop this spring.
"It's really up to me to just use that advantage I have of knowing the offense."
He does view his experience in the system as an advantage.
- "The game feels a little slower." ... on how he's grown as a player since last year. Staub mentions that he has made strides with his understanding of the offense overall and that has helped him gain more confidence.
- "The talent is real." ... on the latest iteration of the roster at CU. He says there is a "mesh" still happening with the new group, but he is excited about the group the staff has put together.
- "I try to take one little thing for him because he's got all the knowledge." ... on working with Pat Shurmur and what he's learned about the CU offensive coordinator. Staub says Shumur is hard on the quarterback group but it gets the most out of them
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