This Saturday, the Buffaloes will conduct their seventh of 15 spring practices. The upcoming practice is also CU's first of three scrimmages between now and the annual Spring Showcase.
It will begin at roughly 11:30 a.m. and is free and open to the public.
Coming off a 4-8 2021 season, Karl Dorrell is eager to observe his team, which features a blend of veterans and less experienced players, on both sides of the ball, in full action.
"I want to see these guys play," he said. "I want the coaches off the field — just put them out there, play the game of football and then see if they can make smart decisions. I want to see how much we’ve learned and how much we’ve grown from that aspect last year.”
Spring scrimmages often feature a revolving door at every position, and Colorado's upcoming sequences are likely to fit that mold.
In particular, expect to see all four of CU's scholarship quarterbacks take the field.
While junior J.T. Shrout is not cleared for full contact this spring, none of the quarterbacks will be tackled, hit or sacked during Saturday's action.
Shrout, along with sophomore Brendon Lewis, are expected to comprise the primary tier of competition for this fall's starting gig, with sophomore Drew Carter and redshirt freshman Maddox Kopp, a Houston transfer who joined the Buffs earlier this winter, compete for higher spots on the depth chart.
Still, Kopp and Carter should see their fair share of scrimmage reps.
"I think Maddox is doing a really good job," Dorrell said. "For a guy that just got here in January, he’s been able to function fairly decently with his command and with his presence as a quarterback for the offense. He’s made a few plays, so I think he’s gaining confidence as we go.
"And I think the same thing for Drew. Drew a young player that we had as our backup last year that didn’t play very much. In my mind, he’s still a young player that still needs a lot of reps, but you can see the improvement that he’s made from our football school that he’s translated to the field.”
From a player's perspective, Saturday represents an opportunity to generate some separation from teammates within the same position group.
Senior outside linebacker Jamar Montgomery isn't making too big a deal of things, but is curious to gauge what kind of shape he's actually in, once a full-speed scrimmage gets underway.
“I really just want to see how long I can last, conditioning-wise, to see if I can keep up with those guys," Montgomery said. "But honestly, I’m just looking forward to going out, competing with my guys and getting some good energy going.”
As a player who will be rushing the quarterback regularly during this upcoming scrimmage, he represents a key area that Dorrell is looking to keep an eye on.
“Defensively, I want to see some good pass rushers," Dorrell said. "I want to see the quarterback under pressure, even though the quarterback’s not live, I want to see guys in the backfield creating some havoc.
"I’d like to see some plays on the football in the backend in creating some turnovers and making some plays on that. My mind is, I would like to see those two things really start to show up for us because those are glaring things that didn’t show up a year ago.”
On the other side of the ball, players will get a chance to execute Mike Sanford's new offense.
With Colorado's passing game struggles from last season well-documented, Dorrell hopes to see some positive signs there while also taking notes on how the likes of tailbacks Alex Fontenot, Deion Smith and Jayle Stacks perform.
“I think offensively, balance is really important," he said. "(Players are) doing a really good job with creating that balance right now: we’re running the ball effectively and we’re throwing the ball in play action pretty well.
"I want to see how we can get in a groove with consistency, sustain some drives and see how that body of work goes through the course of the spring, regardless of who the quarterback is.
