Colorado position preview: Buffs talented, deep in secondary

Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly might have a difficult time figuring out which safeties will start for the Buffaloes.
It’s certainly not because the Buffaloes are lacking talent or experience.
“I think guys have to understand that it’s all about competition,” Kelly said of the competition at safety. “We’re going to play the players that play the best. We’re gonna play the players that practice the best. That is the standard. I think if you are upfront with guys, you tell them what the expectations are, then you’re going to find the people that are going to compete.
“We’ve had some guys that have played a lot of football and, listen, all that experience is going to be good. If we’ve got 12 guys that can play, we’re gonna play 12 guys. Depth is a good thing, but you got to make sure you do it consistently and show that over time.”
Leading up to preseason camp, BuffZone.com will preview each position group for CU and in this installment, we look at the secondary.
At safety, the Buffs are loaded with experienced transfers. At cornerback, they have a mix of not only talented transfers, but the top high school recruit in the country as well.
CU head coach Deion Sanders, who was a Hall of Fame cornerback during his NFL career, believes in building a defense from the outside-in, and the Buffs have done that this offseason at safety and corner.
Colorado safety Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig during football practice at the Buffaloes' indoor facility in Boulder, Colo., on April 5, 2023. (University of Colorado Athletics)
Colorado safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig during football practice at the Buffaloes’ indoor facility in Boulder, Colo., on April 5, 2023. (University of Colorado Athletics)
At safety, Shilo Sanders and Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig were both starters at Jackson State last year, while Rodrick Ward was a starter at Southern Utah. Myles Slusher has been a starter at Arkansas, while Jahquez Robinson (Alabama) and Vito Tisdale (Kentucky) were likely to compete for starting roles had they stayed at their previous schools.
On top of that, Trevor Woods returns after being arguably the best player on CU’s defense in 2022.
“Trevor bought into everything that we were trying to accomplish as a team,” said Kelly, who coaches the safeties. “It was very obvious.
“I think he really improved in what we were asking him to do. He’s a very conscientious young man. He’s one of those guys that asks a lot of questions. He can adjust. He can process the game very well.”
At cornerback, the Buffs have an entirely new room from last year, but it might be the most talented cornerback room at CU in many years.
Travis Hunter was the No. 1 recruit in the country – regardless of position – coming out of high school in 2022 and comes to CU after a year at Jackson State. This year, Cormani McClain was the top-ranked cornerback recruit in the nation.
That duo might start, but they’ll get pushed by Florida State transfers Omarion Cooper and Travis Jay, Mississippi transfer Kyndrich Breedlove and another true freshman, Carter Stoutmire.
While CU lists players as corners or safeties, there are a few, including Jay and Robinson, who have versatility and could play different spots.
As an entire group, however, Kelly is intrigued by the potential.
“We have a lot of new guys in the secondary,” Kelly said. “I’ve been very impressed with the way they’ve worked.”
It’s a group, however, that has a ways to go to be ready to line up in a game.
“You’re not going to find exactly where you’re at until probably a couple of weeks out before the game because you’ve been through summer conditioning, you’ve been through our player-led practices, the things that the NCAA allows us to do,” Kelly said. “I will tell you this: our players have worked extremely hard. … As far as the secondary is concerned, I think seeing what we’ve done this summer, I believe we can create more depth than we’ve had. Listen, we’re going to play a lot of guys. If there’s people that can play, we’re going to play them. That gives us an advantage. So the more depth we can create, that’s going to help us.”
Position: Secondary
Cornerbacks
Returners: None.
Transfers: Kyndrich Breedlove, So. (Mississippi); Omarion Cooper, Jr. (Florida State); Travis Hunter, So. (Jackson State); Travis Jay, Jr. (Florida State).
True freshmen: Cormani McClain, Carter Stoutmire
Walk-ons: Andy Etok, R-Fr.; Braden Keith, R-Fr.; Nahmier Robinson, T-Fr.; Isreal Solomon, T-Fr.
Key losses: Nikko Reed (transferred to Oregon); Kaylin Moore (transferred to California); Simeon Harris (transferred to Utah State).
Safeties
Returners: Trevor Woods, Jr.
Transfers: Jahquez Robinson, So. (Alabama); Shilo Sanders, Jr. (Jackson State); Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig, Jr. (Jackson State); Myles Slusher, Jr. (Arkansas); Vito Tisdale, Jr. (Kentucky); Rodrick Ward, Sr. (Southern Utah).
True freshmen: Jaden Milliner-Jones
Walk-ons: Trey Ortega, Jr; Austin Dahlke, So.; Ben Fineseth, So.; Brandon Miller, T-Fr.
Key losses: Isaiah Lewis (graduated); Jeremy Mack Jr. (entered transfer portal); Tyrin Taylor (transferred to Memphis).