Colorado defensive line coach Chris Wilson will be the first to tell you that coaching in college and coaching in the NFL are two entirely different species of animal.
Having spent the last four years in the NFL with the Eagles (2016-2018) and Cardinals (2019), winning a Super Bowl LII ring in the process with Philadelphia, Wilson is excited to be back in an environment where he can put his personal stamp on players and actively assist in their development — responsibilities that are more opaque in the NFL.
“I think what you miss the most (about coaching in college) is the developmental piece," he said. "I had a chance, after I left (for the NFL) to coach some really cool guys — but they don’t pay you to coach Fletcher Cox. Fletcher Cox was born Fletcher Cox. So my goal was not to screw them up. They’ve got some innate qualities and we’ve just got to hone those."
Wilson will benefit from the returning experience among CU's defensive lineman dating back to 2019. The Buffs' three snaps leaders from last year — Terrance Lang (588), Jalen Sami (411) and Mustafa Johnson (393) — are all back in 2020, as is the contingent of young bucks who were thrown into the fire last season such as Na'im Rodman, Austin Williams and Lloyd Murray.
The upperclassmen — Johnson and Lang as well as Janaz Jordan — certainly are more entrenched in what they've been taught by past college coaches, but that doesn't mean they'll be averse to soaking in what Wilson tries to implement among the defensive linemen in 2020.
"It’s just going to be a different technique that I’m going to have to learn, which I’m not too worried about, extending my game a little bit to whatever is going to fit (Wilson's) scheme," Johnson said.
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But in particular with Colorado's younger defensive linemen, Wilson has the chance to be significant in their development.
"The biggest thing you see now is that guys don’t really know who they are (in college)," Wilson said. "They’re developing and growing into those (NFL) guys. Some guys are getting an inch taller, 10 pounds bigger, a tenth of a second faster, so that’s what’s exciting (about college football:) you get a chance to start these guys from the beginning to the end."
Wilson likes what he has seen so far of Johnson, his group's sole senior and the clear player leader among the d-linemen.
"He’s got some traits that I think will bode well for some of the things we’re going to this year compared to last year, which I think will (enhance) the things he does really well," Wilson said.
The way Wilson put it, he'll be most successful at his job if he can pass on his own knowledge, technical preferences and general style of play to his room while at the same time being cognizant of what best suits the players.
"That’s my goal as a teacher: to make sure I’m doing what (the players) do really, really well," he said. "Nobody wants to watch the coach, so you have to make sure that you put your guys in the best position and that you maximize their skill set — that’s what it comes down to. I feel good about the guys we have. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but I’m very optimistic about Mustafa as well as quite a few guys (in the DL room)."
