Camp preview: Coach Prime ready to get third season with CU Buffs underway

Deion Sanders is back in Boulder and ready to roll for his third season leading the Colorado Buffaloes football project Following an eventful offseason which included dealing with a few soundness issues that kept him at his estate in Canton Texas all summer Sanders will open preseason camp with the Buffs on Monday morning Sanders returned to Boulder on Friday the players summary Sunday and Monday the Buffs will hit the field Sanders is also scheduled to conduct a news conference with his curative unit Monday and there s no question the top story surrounding the Buffs at the start of camp is the wellness of the head coach It s also quite likely Sanders will be eager to address his fitness fast and move on to football Sanders only media appearance this summer came at Big media days in Frisco Texas earlier this month and he kept the focus on the field I m not here to talk about my fitness I m here to talk about my group he commented then He will talk about his healthcare Monday but there s also plenty to talk about in regard to the association CU is coming off a - season in its best campaign in eight years Stars Shedeur Sanders Travis Hunter LaJohntay West Cam Ron Silmon-Craig and more are gone But after tasting success the Buffs want more We want to be in that Big championship match Coach Prime stated That s what we want to do and that s what we re gearing up for CU will open the season Aug against Georgia Tech p m ESPN at Folsom Field But there s still a month of practices to get through in order to be ready for a run at the conference title During preseason camp the Buffs will go through several battles for starting spots and they ll look for numerous players to step up Here s a primer for CU s preseason camp Colorado s Micah Welch runs the ball against Oklahoma State at Folsom Field in Boulder Colo on Nov Cliff Grassmick Staff Photographer Key position battles Quarterback For the first time in Coach Prime s tenure there will be a competition for the starting job at quarterback His son Shedeur was the no-doubt starter the past two years and he shattered numerous school records but he s now in the NFL Fifth-year Kaidon Salter an experienced transfer from Liberty will battle with true freshman JuJu Lewis a five-star recruit with an exceptional arm Offensive line CU s line has struggled the past two years but this appears to be the best group Coach Prime has had during his tenure Who starts remains to be seen however Sophomore Jordan Seaton has left tackle locked up while transfers Xavier Hill Memphis and Zy Crisler Illinois appear to be front-runners at guard Competition for spots will be intense however as the Buffs brought in nine transfers and have nine seniors and two juniors competing Inside linebacker Both starting linebackers from last year are gone so this group will look much different Transfers Martavius French UTSA and Reginald Hughes Jacksonville State both have experience and both were all-conference players last year but will be taking a step up in competition level in the Power Four Returning senior Jeremiah Brown and transfer Shaun Myers North Alabama will be among those fighting for spots Secondary Three of the top six players from last year are gone but the Buffs return cornerback DJ McKinney nickel back Preston Hodge and safety Carter Stoutmire That s a solid trio to build around Returning sophomore RJ Johnson returning senior Ivan Yates and transfers Tyrecus Davis Wyoming and Teon Parks Illinois State will be among those fighting for spots at corner Senior Ben Finneseth freshman TJ Branch and talented transfers Tawfiq Byard South Florida John Slaughter Tennessee and Terrance Love Auburn will all battle for spots at safety Running back Coach Prime has repeatedly announced this offseason that the Buffs who were last in the country in rushing in and will be better at running the ball this year There s no clear favorite for carries though Dallan Hayden Micah Welch and Charlie Offerdahl all return from last year but they combined for just yards Transfers Simeon Price Coastal Carolina and Dekalon Taylor Incarnate Word will push for carries Tawfig Byard before the CU Football Spring tournament at Folsom Field on April Cliff Grassmick Staff Photographer Players to watch TE Zach Atkins CU hasn t had a true tight end in Coach Prime s tenure but in the end has one in Atkins The Northwest Missouri State transfer made a good impression in spring practices S Tawfiq Byard Transfer from South Florida where he produced tackles eight tackles for loss two sacks and an interception Teammates praised him in spring and he could become a leader for the defense LB Martavius French At UTSA last year he posted tackles for loss tied for th nationally He also had tackles and a sack in earning second-team all-conference honors OL Xavier Hill He was first-team all-conference at Memphis last year and could be the best line transfer CU s had in years CB RJ Johnson The sophomore who transferred to CU last year and played sparingly had a great spring Junior DJ McKinney figures to have one corner spot locked up and Johnson could land the other WR Omarion Miller Playing behind talented NFL-bound veterans the past two years he has flashed his feasible but now is his time to shine The junior has likely to be a star and the Buffs top receiver Related Articles Keeler CU Buffs greats trust Deion Sanders with -star QB Julian Lewis Age is just a number If he can play he can play UNC joins changing times in college sports under House v NCAA settlement CU position preview Buffs secondary retooled but has plenty of talent CU position preview Buffs hope revamped offensive line produces better results Big Ten commissioner will evaluate schedules in all sports next spring DT Jehiem Oatis Transfer from Alabama is listed at -foot- pounds and has promising to be a star for the Buffs and in the Big He could be the leader of a deep group up front RB Dekalon Taylor He s not big at -foot- pounds but he was explosive last year at Incarnate Word rushing for yards catching passes and returning punts for yards and a touchdown DE Keaten Wade Played just snaps last year but was very productive with tackles tackles for loss and four sacks His possible is through the roof if he can get - snaps this year WR Joseph Williams Exciting newcomer was the AAC freshman of the year last year at Tulsa He comes in as one of the top transfer additions of the offseason Want more sports news Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver s teams